It’s a stylus and a paint brush and the reviews are incredible for it.   Nomad’s Compose RED dual-tip says “Happy Valentine’s Day” on it and can be purchased on NomadBrush.com for $39.

They also have iPad paintbrushes for kids!  Check out Nomad Play for $18.

Kids learn about state capitols, state geography and so much more.  (Which state houses which National Park and so forth.)

Nate (8) played this pretty much all day yesterday as he was in bed with a bad cold.  You play to “earn” states and he’s earned 45 of his 50 states and I can’t tell you guys how much he’s learned in just one day.  He can identify almost all of the states by shape alone, knows many of the capitals now and knows which states border one another.

Oh and you have to “stack” your states which can get pretty precarious!  If your stack topples over you are starting over, so it’s not only educational but fun. (Because that’s the best type, right?  The ones where my kids learn and they don’t even realize they are doing it…)

You can get a Lite (Free) version too but we only tried the paid version – get Stack the States for $.99 for the iPhone and $1.99 for the iPad on the iTunes store.

What can I say?  This Aerobed makes sleepovers and travel very easy and very comfortable.  And I’ll just note – in total times of desperation, if you aren’t that tall, adults can sleep on this bed too. (I slept on it once!  I’m 5’6″ and my feet came to the very edge but it worked!)

A nice feature on this aerobed that you don’t get on others are the slightly raised sides that you can see in the photo – they help to encourage kids to stay sleeping on the bed and not to roll off.  Score!

It inflates with an electronic air pump in under a minute.  I just love it and always feel the need to review it every few years because we think it’s such a fabulous product and it gets such use in our house!

Get the Aerobed for Kids on Amazon for $79.99 with free shipping.

No pedals, no extra parts and you propel the roller around using your legs.

Order the Ezy Roller for $129.98 from Amazon with free shipping.

I continue to use Qwiki, which I reviewed within the first few days of getting an iPad earlier in the year.  This app and website is like a Wikipedia for your iPad.  You can query just about anything and it’ll bring back beautiful pictures and an audio tour of whatever you are looking for information about.

Use it online if you don’t have an iPad or download the Qwiki app from the iTunes store for free.

And the best part, it’s free!  Get Temple Run on the iTunes.com store.

Now I had seen the Card Cubby before online but never in person and you ladies have to believe me, you NEED this.  Because if you’re in any way like me, you may be carrying your coupons, gift cards and frequent buyer cards in something like this:

Total disaster, right?  And that’s just the ones I was organized enough to put into two Ziplock bags.  I also have gift cards randomly floating around in my wallet in various hidden pockets (and they inevitably sit there and NEVER get used because I forget about them!)

Now, all of my frequent buyer cards, business cards, coupons and gift cards that were totally disorganized in my purse are sitting inside of this, the Card Cubby:

I got it my Card Cubby in Lime Croc.  It’s alphabetized inside with tabs so you can easily find everything.

Here I am pulling out a Children’s Place gift card from the C tab:

This is truly a must-have.  It’s trendy looking, it keeps you organized and the price is right – $20.00.  Get the Card Cubby at Shopaholic’s Shop for $20.00 plus shipping (which is around $5).

Guys, this is an AWESOME and affordable gift to get her this holiday season!  Hurry and you can get it in time!

This multimedia tablet includes age-appropriate e-books that kids are sure to love.  You can update and customize through your USB cable and the computer and you can buy cartridges for different games.

Age recommendation is 4-9 years old; the screen is 5-inches.

The V-Tech InnoTab is $79 with free shipping on Amazon.

(Hit the arrow on the bottom right to play it once you are in there!)

Free slideshow design created with Smilebox

Neat, right? You can make scrapbook pages, holiday cards, invites and more. Print them, post them to Facebook, email them to a friend. As you can see, there are lots of options!

Smilebox also has an iPhone app – snap photos on your phone and edit them from there!

Giveaway:  One lucky Mommies with Style reader can win a year subscription to the desktop service!  To enter to win, simply comment below.  One winner will be selected at random after Sunday, October 23rd.

Disclaimer:  I was compensated for testing out Smilebox but all opinions and thoughts in this post are my own.

Travel beds – especially space-saving one – become imperative when the holidays roll around. Get a jump on your holiday travel planning now with our top picks for the best travel beds for babies.

KidCo PeaPod

The PeaPod is a pop-out, pop-up tent. Available in two sizes, the PeaPod comes with an inflated sleeping pad (self-inflating in some models) and a ventilated, enclosed space for your child to sleep. The PeaPod is one of my favorite travel beds and here’s why: 1) It’s portable. The PeaPod folds up similar to your car sunshade into a compact size that easily fits into suitcases, trunks and overhead compartments. It also opens in mere seconds. 2) It’s enclosed. When the entire family is sleeping in the same room, it’s a little hard when my 1-year-old can pop his head out of the travel crib and check out his surroundings at any hour of the day or night. The zippered panels of the PeaPod keep him from being distracted by his new surroundings which make it easier for him (and us!) to sleep. 3) It’s versatile. I recently took the PeaPod with me on a trip to Yosemite and was amazed at its versatility. My son slept in it every night in our VW van, used it as a play tent on the grass at the Ahwahnee while we picniced and took an afternoon nap on the sandy bank of the Merced while we lounged by the river. Visit www.kidco.com to see the different sizes, colors and mattress options.

BabyBjorn Travel Light

Travel crib, pack-n-play, portacrib – whatever you call it, many parents are used to lugging one around when traveling with baby. BabyBjorn made this easier. Their Travel Crib Light took the basic pack-n-play and made it lighter (only 11 lbs compared to the 25-35 lbs of traditional pack-n-plays), more compact (19″ x 24″ x 6″), and much easier to set-up and take down (no locking sides to battle with). The frame sets up in just ONE step (well, two if you count pushing the mattress down) and in about 30 seconds.  The mattress is not bulky, but is plush enough to provide a comfortable cushion which is good since the mattress does rest directly on the floor. The wider base keeps the Bjorn Travel Crib Light steady and sturdy despite being lightweight, and the mesh sides allow for easy airflow. The Travel Crib Light can be used from newborns up to about a 3-year-old depending on the size of your child (the mattress size is 24″ x 41″ x 4″). Visit Bjorn at www.babybjorn.com to learn more and purchase.

philandteds Nest

I’ve written about the Nest here before. For the right age baby and travel circumstances, the Nest is in incredible 2-in-1 bassinet and suitcase. The pop-up bassinet is easy to assemble in seconds and provides a safe and soft sleeping area for babies up to 9 months or 20 lbs. When you’re ready to travel, fold down the bassinet and slip it into the included travel bag that has a second compartment on the other side to hold clothes, diapers, blankets and more. Especially for overnight trips, the Nest allows you to save space, forgo the diaper bag and make do with just one bag for all your baby’s needs. Unpacked, the Nest is also lightweight weighing in at 5.5 lbs. The bag will undoubtedly get heavier if you’re loading the other side with clothes, toys and other necessities, but the total weigh will still likely beat the heft required to lug most traditional pack-n-plays. Visit philandteds.com to learn more and purchase.

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Mommies With Style was not paid for this review. Samples were provided by the companies to facilitate the review.

Kate Bayless is a writer, editor and one day dreams of traveling without baby gear. Her work has appeared in Parents, American Baby, Fit Pregnancy, iVillage and other publications. Visit her at www.katebayless.com or @katebayless.