Children enjoy personalizing everything, even their shoes. Your child’s Crocs can be suitably original after he or she finishes decorating them, thanks to Croc-a-Doodles, a kit with three washable markers and four fabric paint pens, as well as sticker stencils and a sponge ($15). If they get bored with the design, they can wash with the decorations off and start over. Jibbitz (pictured) are cute charms that attach to Crocs; the dozens of designs include Spiderman, Green Goblin, Lighting McQueen and Tinkerbell ($3 each or $6 per pair). Clip-itz Shoelace Clips are both practical — they keep shoelaces tied — and decorative, available in a basketball that lights up, jewel-toned cubes and sparkly butterflies ($6 to $10). Another solution for kids who like a snazzy shoe look and have trouble with laces, is curly laces. The laces feed through the eyelets, and their springy texture keeps everything together without having to tie a knot ($2.50 per pair).

Consider the toy box: that indispensable item in every child’s room, a parent’s attempt to keep that vast arsenal of toys in place. Even small children can learn to lift the lid and put their things into the box. (You can teach them the Barney Clean Up song while you’re at it, which helps toddlers learn to clean.) Online, there is a treasure trove of toy boxes. At iToyBoxes.com, the best-seller is the KidKraft Inc limited edition toy chest, on sale for $149.98. It’s a classic toy chest made of wood, with a seatback that can be used as a bench. For boys who like pirates, iToyBoxes has a charming Guidecraft pirate toy box, $134.99. It’s black and gold, with depictions of a treasure map, skull and crossbones and a pirate ship painted on the side. For girls, iToyBoxes has a Guidecraft princess carriage toy box for $94.99 (pictured). It looks like a pink and purple carriage drawn by a wooden horse. On top of the pink carriage is a purple cushion, which serves as a chair for your princess. Another princess-themed toy box is the Disney princess toy box, $39.24 from Walmart.com. They also have the Disney Pixar Cars toy box, featuring the characters from the animated movie, for $39.24. At Woodtoybox.com, you can choose from a selection of wooden toy boxes, any of which can be personalized. Their attractive dark cherry toy box is $169; the letters of the child’s name can be in gold, blue or red. The toy box has three compartments and a seating area.

Recently at our neighborhood park, I noticed a little girl wearing adorable sandals emanating tiny “eek, eek, eek” noises as she walked. At first, I thought I was hearing things – who wants their child to sound like a rubber duck being squeezed? It turns out the girl was wearing Wee Squeaks, shoes designed to help a child learn to walk properly. The idea is that toddlers will be motivated by trying to make the shoe squeak, and in order to do that, they have to walk heel-to-toe instead of on their tiptoes. A cushion in the heel forces air through a nozzle, making a squeak. At the Wee Squeaks web site, you can hear the squeak by clicking on the button in the bottom right-hand corner of the page. The company claims one advantage of this function is that “parents love the safety feature of knowing where their child is at all times” (because a toddler’s ordinary propensity to talk non-stop all day long is apparently not enough to let you know where they are). If you can overlook the possibility that the sound might drive you crazy, Wee Squeaks come in a variety of attractive designs – glossy sandals, snap sandals, pink tennis shoes, brown tennis shoes and camouflage tennis shoes. Best of all, the squeaker can be removed from the shoe by an adult. The hot pink crystal sandals (pictured) are $28.95; other styles are similarly priced. If sound isn’t enough, you can also find children’s shoes that glow in the dark. Skechers.com has a boys’ shoe called the Luminator Frontier-Reflectors, with laces and designs on the side that glow green in darkness ($45). Skechers also carries girls’ shoes with built-in blinking lights, such as the S Lights Bikers-Saucy in white or turquoise ($42). Speaking of shoes that light up, one longtime standard at Stride Rite has been the Fire Engine toddler boys’ shoe, featuring a fire engine surrounded with red lights that blink with each step. Thankfully, they do not come with a built-in siren ($40).

Aside from swaddling your child in bubble wrap or planting a microchip in his scalp, what choices do parents have in keeping young children safe from disappearing or injury? In recent years, a slew of toddler safety devices hit the market to help you care for and keep track of your little one. It’s takes a split second to lose sight of a curious kid in a mall, but the “Mommy I’m Here” Child Locator ($28.95, pictured) can help. This teddy bear-shaped “invisible leash” attaches easily to a belt or shoe and comes with a key-chain transmitter for the parent. If the parent loses track of the child, he or she can press the transmitter, and the teddy bear will start a chirping sound that’s audible within 150 feet of the munchkin. At Yoursafechild.com, you’ll find a handy, comprehensive ChildPrint ID Kit, which includes a non-toxic 10-finger fingerprint chart, a freezer-safe DNA hair sample storage baggie, dental charts for permanent and baby teeth and more ($4.99). If your child is injured on the go, you’ll be fully prepared with the MediBag Child’s First Aid Kit ($19.99), which comes complete with a variety of child-friendly, brightly colored bandages and supplies for every manner of cuts and scrapes, including plastic tweezers, burn gel and, of course, smiley-face stickers. For slightly older kids, parents could consider getting a cell phone. No, we’re not crazy. Check out this Wherifone G560 GPS Locator Phone, with GPS location technology, an SOS button and five programmable buttons for easy dialing ($89.98). Mypreciouskid.com has variety of safety products, including a fun alternative to ID bracelets: the Lost and Found temporary tattoos ($9.99), with six tattoos that can help identify your child whenever you take a trip, visit an amusement park or go to the beach.

The Zaky is one of those clever inventions I wish had been around when my children were babies. It is a soft, heavy pillow shaped like a hand and forearm, which can be placed next to, over or curled around a newborn. A mother can make the Zaky smell like herself by sleeping with it on her chest for a night, then placing it next to baby. For premature babies in neonatal intensive care units, the Zaky simulates the feel and smell of their mother holding them, even if she cannot always be with them in the hospital. The Zaky helps full-term newborns stay propped up correctly in their car seat, carrier or stroller (I used to roll up clean dishtowels and prop them next to my infant son, to keep him from tilting over and getting scrunched in one corner of the car seat). You can also use them when putting baby down for the night, after warming them up in the dryer. They come in beige (pictured), blue or pink and are fully washable ($49.95 each or two for $37.46 each; order here). Something else you’ll probably be buying once baby arrives is birth announcements. Baby’s Here offers birth announcements printed on recycled paper.) They have photo announcements, traditional announcements and invitations to baby showers. You can also get a free pregnancy ticker to add to your Myspace, Facebook or other personal web page (a sample one reads “My pregnancy is sailing along, only 123 days to go!”); the program updates the number of days automatically. That might be a little too much information to share with everyone who can see your site – but every mom chooses a different way to count the days down.

For centuries, birds have served as inspiration to artists of all mediums. But this year, two particular black birds — similar in shape and size — have flown straight into the hearts of designers. To quickly peruse several things that are raven- and crow-inspired, your first visit should be to Etsy.com where you can find, among hundreds of handmade wares, a beautiful sterling silver and turquoise pendant featuring a raven perched in a tree. For something on the practical, yet silly, side, a set of two raven mugs from Spirit and Kitsch is a nice salute to the bird who many consider to be a powerful spiritual guide. For a traditional, homespun touch, Crow’s Nest Trading Company gives a nod to its namesake with a stylish throw pillow featuring a crow on a limb. For the bird lover raising little chicks, a crow-inspired onesie by Nikki McClure is the perfect fit. And for the big bird of the house, a fashionable long-sleeved gray, white and black raven T-shirt by Blueflavor fits the bill. And how about curling up to read (or re-read) The Raven by Edgar Allen Poe, while snuggled underneath a gorgeous Pendleton blanket featuring — you guessed it — a raven.