Babies Gotta Have It

Babies Gotta Have It may be undergoing a bit of an identity crisis.  My sweet baby girl…is now a preschooler.  I suppose they remain our babies until they go off to college and beyond, but as my focus has turned more toward toddler and preschooler products, it’s so lovely to return to the unique and beautiful baby products that inspired this blog to begin with!

You know I love pretty and stylish burp cloths!  Well the Burp Sees from Zeebabee are some of my new favorites.  Not only are they blessedly devoid of bunnies and dinosaurs, they are designed to encourage baby’s developing vision.  Babies, as we all know, are best able to see high contrast patterns in black and white for the first months of their lives.  Since they spend most of those early days in our arms, the Mama behind Zeebabee created gorgeous burpies out of vibrant black and white patterns accented with colorful fabrics to give baby something to look at as she’s spitting up for the one millionth time in any given day.  Or just burping like a sailor. Big sigh over those now long-gone milky happy baby burps.  Also check out her pretty Baby See T-Shirts, stylish and hip black and white tees (and you know NY Mamas love to wear black) also created to stimulate baby’s vision.

Looking for a great baby shower gift?  Buy these funky and fun burp cloths and tees at Zeebabee.  Or win one right here at Babies Gotta Have It!  Want to enter?  Read on!

To Enter the Zeebabee Giveaway

• MANDATORY ENTRY #1: Head over to Zeebabee and check out their selection of Burp Sees and Baby See Tees.  Come back and leave a comment on this site sharing if you’d choose a burp cloth or a tee and which pattern you would pick if you won.   Entering is that easy!

***Want extra chances to win? After you have made your first entry as described above, do anything listed below and leave me additional comments for each one letting me know what you did!  Maximum of eight entries per person.

• Follow me on Twitter and tweet the following (just cut and paste):Zeebabee Burp Cloth and Baby See Tee Giveaway @BabiesGottaHavT http://tinyurl.com/29gtdla
• Follow Zeebabee on Twitter.
• Blog this giveaway (send me the url so I can enjoy your post!)
• Subscribe to my blog using the button on the left sidebar
• Grab my button and put in on your blog or website! Button code is in the right sidebar. Leave the link in your entry.
• Become a Fan of Babies Gotta Have It on Facebook. Click HERE!
• Email your friends about the giveaway and link to the giveaway post! cc me in the message (babiesgottahaveit@gmail.com)–I promise I will not spam you or your friends. Cross my heart

Your email address will remain private and not be shared with anyone. Giveaway only open to those with U.S.  addresses. Must be 18 or older to win. Giveaway begins on Monday June 7th and ends on Monday June 21st at 11:59 Eastern Standard Time. Very shortly thereafter,  Random.org will select the winner,  and I’ll email you immediately. After my daughter called Larry the Cable guy the last time she did a drawing, we have decided to take a little vacation from her choosing the winner. Random.org is in no way as cute and unpredictable as my daughter, but it is much more efficient and does not use any pieces of paper, even recycled ones. I am sure you will understand. Thanks for entering!

Disclosure: I was not compensated in any way for this post, and all views and opinions with regard to the products or company itself are my own and were not influenced, nor reviewed, by the company prior to posting.

Update!  We have a winner!  Random.org says “Result: 24″  Congratulations Katie!  And thanks so much to everyone who entered!

My grandmother had old school CoverMates.  I have no idea what brand they were.  But they were plastic wrap gathered with elastic like a shower cap and after she’d use them, she’d meticulously hand wash them in the sink, and hang them from the cafe curtain rod with a plastic clothespin to dry.  They came in several sizes. Eventually they stretched out.  She still used them.

So when the people at CoverMate Food Covers approached me to try their new product, I actually got a little misty.  Happy Mother’s Day Mamas.  Yup.  After giving birth, my emotions are so labile that even stretchy Food-Storage Covers can make me weep.

These, however, are not your grandmother’s stretch-to-fit food storage covers.  CoverMates come in four different sizes, are reusable, microwave safe, and top-rack dishwasher safe. And though they aren’t recyclable, they are far better to me than ziploc bags and plastic wrap which rarely receive more than one use before ending up in a landfill.  With CoverMates you can store your food in your own bowl and just safely cover it before you pop it in the fridge.

So how do you wash a CoverMate in the dishwasher without it just turning into a little bag of dingy water? I love this.  You can handwash them like my Nana.  Or stretch the CoverMate around a clean saucer or plate with the dirty side out, then load in the top rack of your dishwasher.  Tried it.  Worked.

Want to try them?  You can find CoverMates at Target, Amazon.com, or buycovermate.com.  Or request a free sample here (just pay $3.95 shipping, but you also get a coupon for $1.00 off your purchase).

Disclosure: CoverMate provided me with sample products for review.  I was not compensated monetarily, and all views and opinions with regard to the products or company itself are my own and were not influenced, nor reviewed, by the company prior to posting.

So maybe you’re not ready to forsake paper towels completely and drip dry on the potty…but there are lots of little steps to going green that we can all take every single day.  Little steps that, though small, are still forward progress toward a greener and healthier planet.

The folks at Marcal get it.  They recognize the importance of making little changes and have created a line of paper products made of 100% premium recycled paper.  Small Steps by Marcal products are whitened without chlorine bleaching, and they’re hypoallergenic and dye and fragrance-free.  Using recycled paper products saves trees. The Marcal Tree Calculator is a fun little widget that calculates how many trees you and your family, or classroom, or office can save over the next twenty years if you switch to recycled paper products.  My wee family of three can save two trees every year.  I have this kind of goofy quote from JRR Tolkien on my Facebook page: “Even the smallest person can change the course of the future.” I think two trees are important. My Dad always says “trees are our friends.” My Dad is a little goofy too.  But he’s also pretty darned smart.

So I tried several of the Small Steps products.  I like that the paper towels come in “U-Size It Sheets” so you can tear off smaller amounts for the trail of orange juice your toddler lets fall from her sippy cup and larger sheets for the third cat vomit of the day.  The products are fairly strong and effective…and I do love that they’re hypoallergenic and fragrance free.  So here’s the thing: they aren’t crazy soft.  None of these recycled paper products are crazy soft.  They just aren’t.  The Marcal website links to a few articles that clarify why this is the case.  A New York Times article of February 25, 2009 states, “Although toilet tissue can be made at similar cost from recycled material, it is the fiber taken from standing trees that help give it that plush feel, and most large manufacturers rely on them.”  Paper manufacturers are harvesting farmed trees, yes, but they’re cutting down very old trees as well.  So I guess it’s really up to us to decide. What are we willing to sacrifice for super soft toilet paper, paper towels, tissues and paper napkins?

Marcal Small Steps is priced so that you don’t need to sacrifice economy.  That’s pretty cool.  And their website offers a coupon for all you money saving Mamas as well. I guess in honor of Earth Day I’d just say, try them.  See how you like them.  Maybe you can’t do the tissues but the paper napkins and paper towels will work for you.  Small steps are still steps.  And trees are our friends.

Thanks to the good people out there in Elmwood Park, NJ one lucky Babies Gotta Have It reader will celebrate Earth Month with a free Marcal Small Steps starter kit (a $25 value) complete with toilet paper, napkins, paper towels and facial tissues.  Want to enter?  Read on!

To Enter the Marcal Small Steps Giveaway

• MANDATORY ENTRY #1: Leave a comment on this post sharing your favorite memory of a tree.  Yup.  A tree. Maybe it was the apple tree in your grandparents’ back yard or the tree you built a tree house in when you were a kid.  Maybe you hung a bird feeder with your child or planted a special tree in memory of a loved one.  Tell us about it.  That’s it!  Entering is that easy!

***Want extra chances to win? After you have made your first entry as described above, do anything listed below and leave me additional comments for each one letting me know what you did!  Maximum of nine entries per person.

• Follow me on Twitter and tweet the following (just cut and paste): I’m taking Small Steps to a greener life with recycled paper products! Win a Marcal starter kit @BabiesGottaHavT http://tinyurl.com/29awxxb
• Follow Marcal Small Steps on Twitter.
• Blog this giveaway (send me the url so I can enjoy your post!)
• Subscribe to my blog using the button on the left sidebar
• Grab my button and put in on your blog or website! Button code is in the right sidebar. Leave the link in your entry.
• Become a Fan of Babies Gotta Have It on Facebook. Click HERE!
• Become a Fan of Marcal Small Steps on Facebook.  Click HERE!
• Email your friends about the giveaway and link to the giveaway post! cc me in the message (babiesgottahaveit@gmail.com)–I promise I will not spam you or your friends. Cross my heart

Your email address will remain private and not be shared with anyone. Giveaway only open to those with U.S.  addresses. Must be 18 or older to win. Giveaway begins on Wednesday April 21st and ends on Wednesday May 5th at 11:59 Eastern Standard Time. On Thursday May 6th,  Random.org will select the winner,  and I’ll email you immediately. After my daughter called Larry the Cable guy the last time she did a drawing, we have decided to take a little vacation from her choosing the winner. Random.org is in no way as cute and unpredictable as my daughter, but it is much more efficient and does not use any pieces of paper, even recycled ones. I am sure you will understand. Thanks for entering!

Disclosure: Marcal Small Steps provided me with sample products for review and the starter kit for the winner of this giveaway.  I was not compensated monetarily, and all views and opinions with regard to the product or company itself are my own and were not influenced, nor reviewed, by the company prior to posting.

UPDATE! We have a winner!  Random.org says “Result: 6″!  Congratulations to the “madwoman doing cartwheels”.  And thanks so much to everyone who entered!

For me, in many ways, the experience of motherhood is whatever is happening right now. This moment.  This very second. From pregnancy through delivery, breastfeeding to potty training, what is going on at this very instant is the experience.  And memories of pain and turmoil and heartburn past seem to kind of fade away in the haze of the current struggle.  Or the current delight. Or the current preschool plague that’s hitting NYC like a ton of bricks, leaving me flat on my back for days on end.

Doc Hubby is convinced there’s some sort of evolutionary amnesia, rendering the pain of earlier stages in the child-producing process distant enough that one might consider doing it again, long enough to actually get pregnant. Possible, indeed.

Breastfeeding is becoming a bit of a fading memory for me now. too.  Much like the belly (that sweet, huge, awkward, glorious pregnant belly). But I do remember, clearly, that it was not always easy. Especially at the start. A breastfeeding gal needs support. From friends. From family. And from companies interested in making products to aid breastfeeding moms. At a recent breakfast, I learned that Nuk, my go-to company for pacifiers, is coming out with lots and lots of new products, and many of them have the needs of breastfeeding moms in mind.

So what did I learn?

• Nuk, translated, means “Natural and Orthodontic.” I used their pacifiers because I had heard that they were the best for babies’ developing teeth, And the new NUK Genius Pacifier was developed with dentists to allow for the most natural development of the jaw while simulating the mother’s breast to prevent nipple confusion.
• Nuk Products are BPA-Free! Yippee!
• Nuk is in the process of creating a full line of Breastfeeding Accessories including pumps, bottles, pads, storage bags, and warm and cool relief packs for those sore nipples we all do remember so well.
• The nipples on Nuk bottle nipples, like the pacifiers, are designed to simulate Mama’s breast, encourage proper orthodontic development, and reduce colic.

And the super neat new products I liked:

Nuk offers the coolest toothbrushes for infants and toddlers! Check out the NUK Healthy Start Training Toothbrush Set!I love these!  The infant toothbrushes just have little rubber nubs so your baby can chew on them without eating bristles! They come with a nifty mouth protector that keeps your baby from pushing the brush in too far which can also be used as a stand. I totally wish I had these when the Bean was a teeny tiny baby.

Nuk makes BPA Free Sippy Cups! I love these designs.  Girlish and Boyish but with no TV or Movie characters.  I love the dragonflies.  I love the princesses on the girls’ cups and the pirates on the boy cups. And the dragonflies. All in all these are wonderful designs.
And of course, the germaphobe in me adores the NUK Pacifier Carrying Case. It even has an air hole so the pacifiers will dry out.

Want to try out some of these products? Thanks to the folks at Nuk one lucky Babies Gotta Have It reader will win an assortment of Nuk’s new products including: 2 packs of the Orthodontic Pacifiers for 0 - 6m, the NUK Genius Pacifierfor 18 m+, the Nuk Pacifier Clip, 2 NUK Silicone Orthodontic Nipples for 0m+, the NUK Gentle Moisturizing Balm to relieve chapped and tender nipples, the NUK Healthy Start Training Toothbrush Set, and 2 of the NUK BPA Free Soft Bite Feeding Spoons. These would be a wonderful baby shower gift or baby gift, or a great addition to your baby gear!  Want to enter?  Read on!

To Enter the NUK Giveaway

• MANDATORY ENTRY #1: Visit the Nuk USA website. Browse their selection of products.  Come back and leave a comment on this post saying which product you’re most interested to try. Entering is that easy!

***Want extra chances to win? After you have made your first entry as described above, do anything listed below and leave me additional comments for each one letting me know what you did!  Maximum of seven entries per person.

• Follow me on Twitter and Tweet this giveaway  just cut and paste): Nuk supports Breastfeeding Moms! Win a collection of Nuk supplies @BabiesGottaHavT http://tinyurl.com/ybczfyb
• Blog this giveaway (send me the url so I can enjoy your post!)
• Subscribe to my blog using the button on the left sidebar
• Grab my button and put in on your blog or website! Button code is in the right sidebar. Leave the link in your entry.
• Become a Fan of Babies Gotta Have It on Facebook. Click HERE!
• Email your friends about the giveaway and link to the giveaway post! cc me in the message (babiesgottahaveit@gmail.com)–I promise I will not spam you or your friends. Cross my heart

Your email address will remain private and not be shared with anyone. Giveaway only open to those with U.S.  addresses. Must be 18 or older to win. Giveaway begins on Saturday February 13th and ends on Monday March 1st at 11:59 Eastern Standard Time. On Tuesday March 2nd,  Random.org will select the winner,  and I’ll email you immediately. After my daughter called Larry the Cable guy the last time she did a drawing, we have decided to take a little vacation from her choosing the winner. Random.org is in no way as cute and unpredictable as my daughter, but it is much more efficient and does not use any pieces of paper, even recycled ones. I am sure you will understand. Thanks for entering!

Disclosure:Nuk offered the above mentioned products to the winner of this giveaway at their expense.  Additionally, they gave me a lovely breakfast and a modest gift card to thank me for my time and effort in writing the post.  I was not compensated monetarily, and all views and opinions with regard to the product or company itself are my own and were not influenced, nor reviewed, by the company prior to posting.

Update! We have a winner! Random.org says “Result: 31“ Congratulations Courtney!  Thanks to everyone who entered!

Hooray for Baby Dipper Bowls!  I have just been informed that the super cool Baby Dipper feeding bowls I introduced you to back in November of 2008 are now BPA-free, lead-free and phthalate free!  And they come with a spoon and a fork now, too.  Yahoo!

This triangular shaped feeding bowl features transparent sides, a spoon-shaped lower corner, a contoured interior and a non-slip base to make toddler feeding easier and facilitate one-handed feeding for Mamas and Daddies who have their hands full. Watch my blast from the past video for a view of this nifty bowl in action…remember when the Little Bean was that small? The BPA-Free Baby Dipper Feeding Setcan now be found on Amazon.com! Just click here.

p.s. The giveaway mentioned in the video is long over…but keep an eye out for lots more great giveaways on Babies Gotta Have It!

I am Wendy.  And my toddler is a sugar freak.  She comes by it honestly. My mother considers chocolate to be one of the major food groups.  When I was little I used to sneak spoonfuls of confectioners sugar from the box on the lazy susan by the sink.  My little Bean comes from a long line of gals who can handle their sucrose.

I’m not sure that any amount of “organic blah de blah” or “all-natural bibble snobble” can fight this penchant for sweets.  I didn’t give the Bean any refined sugar for a very very long time.  And I still really avoid it.  But that kid can put down a Magnolia cupcake with the best of them.  There’s a part of me that’s a little proud.

And now it’s the holidays.  My mother is “cutting back” on the cookies this year.  Only baking the favorites.  One favorite.  For each of the grown-ups.  That makes eight different kinds of cookies.  Cutting back?  Yeah, the Bean is going to be bouncing off the walls at Granny’s house.

All this to say, oral hygeine is going to be a big part of our December.  If you’re anything like us, you have great intentions of good, thorough toothbrushing and minimal sugar intake…but moderate success.  Fortunately for us, Oral-B is there to offer suggestions, tips and great products to get us through this sweet sweet time.

Check out Oral-B’s website for some really practical Holiday Oral Care Tips for Kids.  This useful page doesn’t deny the fact that at this time of year, your kids are gonna munch on some sweeties.  Instead, it offers guidelines and suggestions for moderating the damage that stuff can do to your wee ones’ smiles.  I love this one: “Dairy acts as a buffer to the acids produced by oral bacteria, decreasing the possibility of tooth decay. So consider serving your children milk or cheese with holiday candies and treats.”  A cookie just isn’t the same without a glass of milk.  For all kinds of reasons, it turns out!

Oral-B offers wonderful guidance for infant and toddler oral care (as well as a neat, new Scrapblog site called Smile-Stages, where you can upload and share photos of your baby beauty’s ever changing smile).  They divide your child’s oral development into “stages” and offer tips for good dental health and appropriate products for each stage.  Honestly, I was using Oral-B toothbrushes and toothpastes for the Bean before I was offered the chance to review and give them away.  The toothbrushes have cute Sesame Street and Winnie the Pooh characters that I really respond to on them (as does she). The infant toothpaste was easy to find at my local drug store, and clearly packaged so that I knew I was getting the right product for her at each age.

So you have all the best intentions in the world,  a little stool in front of the sink, and your toddler looks like she’d rather have a root canal than stand there and brush her teeth?  Try some of these suggestions from Oral-B:

• Brush your teeth with your child!  You’ll be setting a good example for your child, and kids like to copy grown ups like Mama and Daddy.
• Sing your child’s favorite song or play a song from their favorite CD for the two minutes while you’re brushing your teeth.  You can stop brushing when the song ends!
• Recite a favorite nursery rhyme while your child is brushing.  They are finished when the rhyme is finished!
• And of course, a favorite character on the toothbrush and toothpaste definitely helps make brushing fun!

Why not consider sticking a toothbrush in your kids’ stockings along with the snowman peeps and candy canes!  When you do finally get around to making that first pediatric dental appointment (that should happen by age 1…gulp) you’ll be glad you did.

And thanks to the generous folks at Oral-B, one lucky Babies Gotta Have It reader will win a bundle that includes all of the Oral-B Stages toothbrushes and pastes!  Want to enter?  Read on!

To Enter the Oral-B Smile-Stages Giveaway

• MANDATORY ENTRY #1: Leave a comment on this post saying who you’d give these toothbrushes to!  Entering is that easy!
  

***Want extra chances to win? After you have made your first entry as described above, do anything listed below and leave me additional comments for each one letting me know what you did!  Maximum of seven entries per person.

• Follow me on Twitter (click the birdy button on the left to do so easily) and Tweet this giveaway (I’ve even made it easy for you, just cut and paste):  I just entered to win a full set of Oral-B Stages toothbrushes and pastes @BabiesGottaHavT.  Enter today! http://tinyurl.com/yzjhnaa
• Blog this giveaway (send me the url so I can enjoy your post!)
• Subscribe to my blog using the button on the left
• Grab my button and put in on your blog or website! Button code is in the right sidebar. Leave the link in your entry.
• Become a Fan of Babies Gotta Have It on Facebook–just click the link on the left sidebar!
• Email your friends about the giveaway and link to the giveaway post! cc me in the message (babiesgottahaveit@gmail.com)–I promise I will not spam you or your friends. Cross my heart

Your email address will remain private and not be shared with anyone. Giveaway only open to those with U.S.  addresses. Must be 18 or older to win. Giveaway begins on Monday December 7th and ends on Wednesday December 16th at 11:59 Eastern Standard Time. On Thursday December 17th,  Random.org will select the winner,  and I’ll email you immediately. After my daughter called Larry the Cable guy the last time she did a drawing, we have decided to take a little vacation from her choosing the winner. Random.org is in no way as cute and unpredictable as my daughter, but it is much more efficient and does not use any pieces of paper, even recycled ones. I am sure you will understand. Thanks for entering!

Disclosure: Oral-B provided me with toothbrushes and toothpaste to review.  Oral-B is providing the prize package for the winner of this giveaway.  I was not compensated in any way for the writing of this post. All views and opinions with regard to the product or company itself are my own and were not influenced, nor reviewed, by the company prior to posting.

Update!  We have a winner!  Random.org says “Result:  44″.  Congratulations Sandra!  Thanks to everyone who entered!  Happy Holidays!

My friend Laurie from prenatal yoga is a chemical engineer.  One afternoon during a playdate in the park we started talking about bottles and BPA and all that. Here’s what she said:

“I’m a chemical engineer.  Plastic creeps me out.  I’m using glass bottles.”

Even two years ago when I was breastfeeding my baby and pumping at night, glass bottles weren’t easy to come by.  In fact, they were hard enough to find that despite Laurie’s warning, I went with BPA free plastic bottles.  And I felt good with that choice.  But amazing sites like Sprout Baby are now making it easy to find all kinds of green and eco-friendly products for baby,  including the next generation of BPA free glass bottles.

Check out my video from April of 2008 and Sprout Baby’s informative post for clear and sobering information regarding BPA and its potential risks to your infant’s health.  Scary stuff.  But the really good news is that the product selection for BPA and polycarbonate free feeding is just getting bigger and bigger and more and more cool!

Sprout Baby sent me two of their way cool new glass bottles to check out and I gotta say, I love them.  The Wee Go Glass Baby Bottle pictured at left is just plain awesome.   This neat bottle comes with a silicone sleeve (available in six fun colors on Sprout Baby) which is free of plastics and 100%  non-toxic.  Of course, everyone is concerned about glass bottles falling to the ground and breaking.  This protective sleeve helps prevent that outcome and also keeps the bottle from crashing into your iPhone in your diaper bag.  And get this, you can boil and dishwash the bottle and the sleeve…together!  This super tactile sleeve makes it easier to hold the bottle and also just feels cool–a sensation that won’t be lost on your infant.  The nipple is also silicone and non-toxic, and the plastic ring, plug and cap contain no polycarbonates and are food grade, FDA approved and recyclable.  Oh and they’re comitted to minimal packaging too.  What you see is pretty much what you get. Woo Hoo!

So the plastic bottles I did end up using were made by the company Born Free, and they worked really well for us.  Now, Born Free also has glass bottles available with their unique smooth flow valve that helps reduce colic and ear infections.  If your baby has these problems, I’d definitely check out this bottle.  The Born Free valve system worked really well for my baby and we didn’t have colic or ear infection problems at all.  According to their literature, this valve system is also good for breast fed babies who are being introduced to bottle feeding, because the steady flow of liquid it provides is very similar to breast feeding.  Born Free also offers silicone sleeves for added protection and grip-ability.

And..thanks to the generous folks at Sprout Baby, one lucky Babies Gotta Have It reader will win one of each of these bottles–Bottles of Joy!  Want to enter?  Read on!

To Enter the Sprout Baby Bottles of Joy Giveaway

• MANDATORY ENTRY #1: Swing by Sprout Baby and browse their wonderful selection of eco-friendly and green baby products.  Come back and tell me which product other than the glass bottles you’d like to try.  Entering is that easy!
  

***Want extra chances to win? After you have made your first entry as described above, do anything listed below and leave me additional comments for each one letting me know what you did!  Maximum of eight entries per person.

• Follow me on Twitter (click the birdy button on the left to do so easily) and Tweet this giveaway (I’ve even made it easy for you, just cut and paste):  Creeped out by BPA? Win glass Bottles of Joy from @SproutBabyClub & @BabiesGottaHavT! http://tinyurl.com/ykn6ryk
• Follow Sprout Baby on Twitter - just click here!
• Blog this giveaway (send me the url so I can enjoy your post!)
• Subscribe to my blog using the button on the left
• Grab my button and put in on your blog or website! Button code is in the right sidebar. Leave the link in your entry.
• Become a Fan of Babies Gotta Have It on Facebook–just click the link on the left sidebar!
• Email your friends about the giveaway and link to the giveaway post! cc me in the message (babiesgottahaveit@gmail.com)–I promise I will not spam you or your friends. Cross my heart

Your email address will remain private and not be shared with anyone. Giveaway only open to those with U.S.  addresses. Must be 18 or older to win. Giveaway begins on Sunday December 6th and ends on Wednesday December 16th at 11:59 Eastern Standard Time. On Thursday December 17th,  Random.org will select the winner,  and I’ll email you immediately. After my daughter called Larry the Cable guy the last time she did a drawing, we have decided to take a little vacation from her choosing the winner. Random.org is in no way as cute and unpredictable as my daughter, but it is much more efficient and does not use any pieces of paper, even recycled ones. I am sure you will understand. Thanks for entering!

Disclosure: Sprout Baby provided me with two bottles to review and two bottles for the winner of this giveaway.  I was not compensated in any way for this post. All views and opinions with regard to the product or company itself are my own and were not influenced, nor reviewed, by the company prior to posting.

UPDATE!  We have a winner!  Random.org says “Result:  36″.  Congratulations Sarah!  Thanks so much to everyone who entered!

I’m gonna be honest with you and tell you that before today, I had never really given Bobby Flay a second thought.  I watched a lot of the Food Network when I was pregnant (Does he have a show on The Food Network?  See, I don’t even know…) but not so much since.  But then I saw this:

And then he made me lunch.

And now I have to confess I have a teeny tiny crush on him.  Guys are cute when they talk about food.  And even cuter when they cook it.  And when they cook food for the holidays…well that’s when you marry them.

So a wee bit of back story (because sad to say, Bobby didn’t just call and invite me over), Hellmann’s Mayonnaise partnered with Bobby Flay to create  the “Real Holiday Helpings” program on www.Hellmanns.com.  Check out the website for recipes and tips on how to easily prepare real food for the holidays (yes real food, containing real, simple ingredients) that kids and parents will both enjoy.  I was invited to this cool demo kitcheny place to watch Bobby Flay cook up some of these recipes and then taste them.  Let me say, I have never gone to one of those cooking shows where they pass out the food to the audience.  It is super fun.  And if what we ate today is any indication, the recipes are really really good.  We sampled the Tandoori-Style Roasted Whole Turkey Breast (pictured above), the Hot Italian Cheese Toasts, the Roasted Green Beans with Almond Aoili, and the Turkey Cuban Sandwich.  I will say only this:  Bobby Flay can come cook my bird any time.

So you can get all the recipes and watch video and everything on the website.  But here’s the good stuff…the good stuff that he said in the room while he chopped onions and didn’t even look at his fingers.  Yeah, he’s that good.

• Bobby Flay’s favorite day of the year is Thanksgiving.  He cooks two 30 lb turkeys, and makes a traditional meal with a theme.  Last year Thanksgiving had a Texas twist.  This year, the flavors will be inspired by New England cooking.
• And I quote, “I don’t stuff the bird.”  He says stuffing the bird slows the cooking time for the turkey and doesn’t allow enough control over the texture and quality of the stuffing.  He called himself a “texture guy.”  So he makes “dressing” in a separate pan.  He likes his dressing a little crispy to complement the turkey.
• According to Bobby Flay, that fenugreek in your cabinet is probably around 29 years old (given warehouse and supermarket shelf time).  He encourages you to restock your spice cabinet with fresh spices every time you change the batteries in your smoke detector.
• Bobby Flay has “mixed feelings” about brining a turkey.  Basically, he suggested it’s not worth the hassle.  How does he do turkey?  He washes it, pats it dry, and salts and peppers the bird.  He puts it in the roasting pan with chopped carrots, onions, celery and lots of chicken stock.  He then adds chunks of butter to the chicken stock.  He roasts it slowly in a 350 oven, basting every 20 minutes with the pan drippings.  If he is going to glaze it, he adds the glaze in the last half hour of cooking so the sugar doesn’t burn.
• Let the turkey sit on the counter for ONE HOUR before you serve it.  Yup.  One hour.  That’s what he said.
• Finally, according to Bobby Flay, the key to Thanksgiving is hot chicken stock.  He has lots on hand to help reheat and moisten everything from turkey to stuffing so that all the dishes come to the table steamy and delicious.

Oh and I took my picture with him.  That was cool.

Disclaimer in case I need one: Bobby Flay and his staff made the yummy food I ate and they picked up the bill.  Hellmanns gave me a gift card to thank me for my time. That was kind of icing on the cake.  The food was really good.

I have never considered myself a neat freak.  And if you could see what’s growing in my refrigerator’s snack pan, you’d absolutely agree.  But the amount of mess generated by a toddler learning to feed herself has shocked and very nearly grossed out this loving, dust-bunny-embracing, city Mama.  I clean the splat mat.  I pick congealed quiche that somehow ends up BENEATH the splat mat off the hardwood floors.  But still, there is a five foot radius of food splattered around the Bean’s high chair that could sustain a small dog for a week I’d say.

Learning to feed yourself is difficult.  It takes a while for those little fingers to figure out where the mouth is and then how to move food into it.  And when you start adding utensils, forget about it!  Kindertools were created by a mother of three, in conjunction with pediatricians and childcare specialists, to meet the needs of children ages 6 months to 6 years as they learn to use forks and spoons…and toothbrushes and crayons and paintbrushes and more!

Kindertools sent me and the Bean several of their products to try out.  Now, the Bean is almost 26 months old.  She is actually fairly great with her fine motor skills and has been using a fork and spoon for quite some time (bear in mind, however, that she didn’t walk until 18 months–kids all develop differently, right?). So she had actually progressed developmentally beyond some of these tools.  I would have loved to have tried them with her a year or so ago.  Though let me say, we have been using the toothbrush.  Kindertools were created both to facilitate learning to use straight handled items, and also for safety reasons!  I have often chased after the Bean as she runs around the apartment with her toothbrush in her mouth thinking she’s playing such a fun game with me.   But as they say on the Kindertools site:

Straight-handled utensils can also be a serious safety hazard for young children. According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, in 2001 nearly 2500 children under the age of 4 were treated in hospital emergency rooms for straight-handled utensil injuries. Clearly, straight-handled utensils are not designed for young children.

The unique, wide safety handles make these toothbrushes  (and all the utensils) super safe and prevents choking or other serious accidents.  I have to say, the information on the Kindertools site made me think twice about chasing her with a  toothbrush in her mouth!

Kindertools are ergonomically designed; FDA approved; made of a soft, durable plastic with no hard or sharp edges; and dishwasher safe!  And thanks to the super folks at Kindertools I have a whole set of their products to give away to one lucky Babies Gotta Have It reader!  Enter today to win both toothbrushes, the spoon, the fork, the crayon holder and the paintbrush holder. Each one is brand new and comes separately packaged in a little ziploc (not packaged as seen in the photo above, however).

To Enter the Kindertools Giveaway

• MANDATORY ENTRY #1: Check out the full line of Kindertools products on their website, come back, and let me know which one you’re most excited about trying out!  Entering is that easy!
  

***Want extra chances to win? After you have made your first entry as described above, do anything listed below and leave me additional comments for each one letting me know what you did!  Maximum of seven entries per person.

• Follow me on twitter (click the birdy button on the left to do so easily) and Twitter this giveaway (I’ve even made it easy for you, just cut and paste):  Got a messy toddler? Try Kindertools! @BabiesGottaHavT Kindertools Giveaway http://tinyurl.com/ykz4web
• Blog this giveaway (send me the url so I can enjoy your post!)
• Subscribe to my blog using the button on the left
• Grab my button and put in on your blog or website! Button code is in the right sidebar. Leave the link in your entry.
• Become a Fan of Babies Gotta Have It on Facebook–just click the link on the left sidebar!
• Email your friends about the giveaway and link to the giveaway post! cc me in the message (babiesgottahaveit@gmail.com)–I promise I will not spam you or your friends. Cross my heart

Your email address will remain private and not be shared with anyone. Giveaway only open to those with U.S.  addresses. Must be 18 or older to win. Giveaway begins on Monday November 2nd and ends on Monday November 16th at 11:59 Eastern Standard Time. On Tuesday November 17th,  Random.org will select the winner I’ll email you immediately. After my daughter called Larry the Cable guy the last time she did a drawing, we have decided to take a little vacation from her choosing the winner. Random.org is in no way as cute and unpredictable as my daughter, but it is much more efficient and does not use any pieces of paper, even recycled ones. I am sure you will understand. Thanks for entering! Disclosure: Kindertools sent me their full line of products to review and they are providing the products  for the winner of the giveaway.  I was not compensated in any way for this post. All views and opinions with regard to the product or company itself are my own and were not influenced, nor reviewed, by the company prior to posting.

UPDATE!  We have a winner! Random.org says “Result:  36″  Congratulations Mommyishome!
Thanks so much to everyone who entered!

So as I have mentioned in the past, I am having a bit of trouble getting my two year old to eat anything that’s not beige.  Or sweet. Or a cupcake. So when the opportunity arose to try out and review some of the new Evenflo Smart Steps products, designed to foster healthy eating habits in toddlers, I jumped at the chance. The Evenflo Smart Steps line was created with three primary goals in mind, to encourage children to: serve themselves, explore food, and know portion sizes.  I am totally behind all of these goals.  And the fact that the products are all BPA free is kind of the icing on the cake…or shall I say, the ranch dressing on the carrot stick.

We had a chance to test drove the new Insulated Sippy Cup, the Snack Stackers (with the magic labels) and the Discovery Spoons.  The most honest review I can give is to say that they have so made their way into our regular eating rotation, that I totally forgot I was reviewing them. My gal is a bit old for the Discovery Spoons–they are really designed for toddlers just learning to feed themselves and are quite shallow with soft sides.  I actually wish I had a set about a year ago!  The insulated sippy cup is quite cute, first of all.  It has a nice cover for the germaphobic Mama like me, and provides good control against leaks.  And the soft insulating wrap that removes to allow you to plop the cup in the dishwasher is pretty cool.  The snack stackers certainly keep our chocolate bunny snack portions in check–and the easy to snap on lids and magic labels would also be great for storing and labeling baby food.  They are also awesome for maintaining nice and mushy raisins!  I’d love to try the Portion Plate with its colorful sections showing how big portions should be (complete with a tiny “just try it” blue bowl in the center)–very cool idea.

Babies Bottom Line: Evenflo Smart Steps provides BPA free, affordable, and healthy products to encourage veggie eating in toddlers.  Starting preschool with healthy eating habits?  That’s something that baby’s gotta have.  Wanna try them?  Here’s a link to a printable coupon so you can do just that!

I wrote this review while participating in a blog campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Evenflo and received a sample to facilitate my candid review. In addition, Mom Central sent me a gift card to thank me for taking the time to participate.