Do you ever wish you could unplug your little ones? For many of us--the state of constant connectivity takes a toll on family life! Are you looking to disconnect from electronic influences--and perhaps raise an unplugged child? Enter the Baby Unplugged™ book series for young children! I recently discovered Baby Unplugged™ and Toast to Counting™ and would love to share our reviews of two of the series’ books: Toast to Counting and Blanket.



What is Baby Unplugged™ and Toast to Baby™?  Baby Unplugged™ is a series of books for young children from Blue Manatee Press. The first seven books in the Baby Unplugged™ series, including Blanket, were written by a pediatrician and author/bookseller, John Hutton. The most recent series from Blue Manatee Press, Toast to Baby™, just added Toast to Counting from artists Sandra Gross and Leah Busch. Both series focus on encouraging families to interact and explore the real world. Not a computer generated world, but one filled with real books, real pages, real life, and real human interaction.

Review of Blanket by John Hutton from the Baby Unplugged™ series . This brightly colored board book takes a look at basic blankets in a variety of real world situations and a few, fun, imaginary settings. The rhymes are straightforward and short. The messages and illustrations leave little readers time and incentive to interact with a caregiver on each sturdy page. It is a lovable book that is suitable for either a boy or a girl and can be read again and again. I think the prompts for interaction on each page will grow with the child.

Review of Toast to Counting by Sandra Gross and Leah Busch. This book was perfectly adorable! As a parent--it is sometimes easy to forget how easy it is to incorporate our humdrum, everyday world into a fun, interactive, educational lesson for our children. In this case, the artists introduce the concept of counting to five as they create a breakfast themed face on a slice of toast. I know that my girls would have created faces with their breakfast every morning had we had this book when they were younger!

Our thoughts on the Baby Unplugged™  and Toast to Baby™ series of books: Blanket and Toast to Counting. One of the first things that my daughter said was, “Oh, I wish we had cool counting books like this when we were little!” I think she genuinely related to the illustrations and the real-world connection--and I think other children will. Baby Unplugged™  reminds us that the world around us provides many opportunities for connection as parents to our children--something we seem to forget amidst our digital distractions!

Check out the offerings at Blue Manatee Press.  As a blogger and freelance writer, I am frequently too connected during most of my day. I make it a point to enjoy a daily, traditional story time with my girls. We use real books with no distractions as we read and discuss the story. I think both series are terrific ways for parents to begin or continue such a tradition with their own children. 

Disclosure:  I was provided complimentary copies of Toast to Counting and Blanket for use in this review.  I was not required to offer a positive review--just my honest opinion--as always!