Kids gift guide 2008

Hot wheels
All natural, supercute and easy on the wallet, North Star Little Rollies collection is made with domestic woods and coated with nontoxic mineral oil using environmentally sound practices. At this price, you can spring for the whole collection—elephant, helicopter, duckie and train—without breaking the bank. $6 each at natandhelens.com.

Bake off
Break out the mini oven mitts and packets of cake mix: it’s Easy-Bake Oven’s 45th anniversary. To commemorate the occasion, manufacturer Hasbro has created a new design using the original , gender-neutral aqua color. The classic, side-loading oven still bakes with a how-retro-cool-is-that light bulb and comes with three recipe mixes, two baking pans, recipes and other utensils. $25.99, hasbro.com.

Christmas beast
Local music icons Kelly Hogan, Sally Timms and Jon Langford don their alter egos and Santa hats for Holidays Gone Crazy, their latest release as kiddie rockers Wee Hairy Beasties (Wee Beatz). Tracks on the upbeat, smart CD include one about a Santa-loving dinosaur and wise-cracking PSAs about eating your greens and the dangers of yellow snow. $9.70, cduniverse.com.

Putting on the Ritz
The Ritz-Carlton Chicago is welcoming its new downstairs neighbor, American Girl Place (Water Tower Place, 835 N Michigan Ave), with an American Girl hotel-stay package for fans of the lifelike historical dolls. Starting with the personalized note your child and her doll receive from the five-star hotel at check-in to a bevy of American Girl gifts (doll clothes and accessories) and accoutrements (milk and cookies for your child and her American Girl, a bed for her little likeness to sleep in), the Ritz doesn’t miss a trick with the baby-doll set. Boys aren’t left out of the fun—they get a Cubs or White Sox hat compliments of the hotel. Ritz-Carlton Chicago, 160 E Pearson St at Michigan Ave (312-266-1000, ritzcarlton.com). Packages start at $395 per night for a standard double room.

Suit your Muu-d
All the pieces in the new line of baby and kids’ furniture from Muu can be modified to meet your child’s growing body and changing taste. So the sliding door panel with the cute, little elephant on Junior’s dresser—which also doubles as a changing table—can be switched out for one with a boom-box design when he’s older. The debut Sam collection includes a crib, nightstand, dresser, storage unit, twin bed and toddler bed—all made by woodworkers and craftsmen in the United States with sustainable materials. $80–$1,395 at Grow Modern Kids, 1943 W Division St, 773-489-0009; grow-kids.com.

Plush pad
The moms on your list might enjoy a gift certificate for an hour-long facial to give their tired skin (and selves) a boost, but who has the time? Instead, get them philosophy’s microdelivery mini peel pads, which exfoliate and moisturize in the time it’ll take to put their hair in a ponytail. Even better, they’re designed to help protect the skin from nasty free radicals and contain anti-inflammatory ingredients to soothe skin and cure blotchiness. $35 for 60 pads; philosophy.com.

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