Welcome to Babies Gotta Have It - the only Must-Have Baby Products Review Vlog out there! The morning sickness has passed, but you've still got vertigo from the dizzying array of baby products available to choose from. And the big box stores are telling you that you need to take that wand-thingy and scan every single one of them into your baby registry. Where's a pregnant gal or new mom to turn? Or maybe you're looking for a great baby shower gift or baby gift for a friend? There's essential baby gear, and there's lust-worthy baby gear and I'll tell you a bit about both!
My baby and I will show you must have baby products from all angles....we'll play with them, spit up on them, read them, bathe in them, eat them, and poop them out until you know why they're the best baby items out there. Go on...click play!
Babies Gotta Have It hits the road for Memorial Day weekend, and takes along the Chic&Cozy Blanket Bag by Chic Tots! Check out the video to see the bag in action on Chincoteague Island. Its water-resistant outer fabric makes it perfect for hauling baby gear to the pool, beach, or park and its soft terrycloth liner is a wonderful play mat or diaper changing pad. It’s a terrific size for your baby, and just big enough for you as well (assuming you, unlike me, manage to lay off the leftover burgers, icebox cake and sweet tea from the holiday weekend). Makes a hip and stylish summer diaper bag, and no kidding converts to several different styles. I tried it. It worked. Use it as a tote, a shoulder bag, a stroller bag, or a backpack simply by adjusting the straps and securing them in various velcro loops cleverly attached to the bag.
This is one super cool baby bag. So super cool, that Parents Magazine featured it…and Target is now carrying it at 800 stores nationwide (find it on Target.com starting at the end of June). Going to a baby shower in the coming weeks? The Chic&Cozy Blanket Bag would make a totally unique baby shower gift. Buy a Chic&Cozy Bag at Target between now and June 13th and get a thank you gift from Chic Tots when you visit this link!
Or just win one here! Yup, thanks to the amazing folks at Chic Tots (who sent me the bag and also made the fantastic coverall bib I reviewed here) one lucky Babies Gotta Have It reader will hit the pool toting this hip bag in a fabric of her choice. Want to enter? Read on!
Take a swing by Chic Tots. Check out the Chic&Cozy Blanket Bags and leave me a comment saying which fabric you’d choose if you won. That’s it! Entering is that easy!
***Want extra chances to win? Do anything listed below and leave me additional comments for each one letting me know what you did! Maximum of three 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): @BabiesGottaHavT wants you to hit the pool in style! Win a Chic&Cozy Blanket Bag! http://tinyurl.com/nue836
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! Button code is in the right sidebar.
Email your friends about the giveaway! cc me in the message–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. Giveaway begins on Thursday May 28th and ends on Thursday June 11th at 11:59 Eastern Standard Time. On Friday June 12th, Random.org will select the winner I’ll email you immediately. After my baby 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 baby, 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!
Update…
And the winner is: 53
Congratulations Carol! And thanks for being such a loyal reader, follower, and giveaway participant! I hope you love love love your bag!
Based upon these criteria I should have loved “Nursery University,” a feature documentary that follows five NYC families on the wild journey to nursery school admissions.
“Nursery University” didn’t make my heart ache a little tiny bit. It gave me a full on coronary.
Now let me say, if you are not facing the prospect of trying to enroll your child in a Manhattan preschool in the next year, you will probably enjoy this movie from start to finish. And in the moments when I could forget that I’m about to get on this particular train to Crazytown, I TOTALLY dug it. It’s funny and outrageous and fascinating and heartbreaking.
But it’s also completely insane. Not the movie. The New York City preschool admissions scene. I am embarrassed to say that I actually learned things from this movie. I learned that I will spend the entire morning the day after Labor Day on the phone trying to beat out one million other parents simply for admissions forms. Not admissions. The pieces of paper you fill out to even begin to be considered. Did I mention my baby is ONE??? She is.
Any parent of young children will get a kick out of this movie, provided he or she does not live in one of the five boroughs. And then congratulate him or herself heartily for choosing to live in a sane, healthy town or city in which you do not need to pay thirty thousand dollars a year for your child to fingerpaint at a preschool that promises to get her into Harvard. Put it on your Netflix queue. Preorder it at Amazon. Just check it out.
“Nursery University.”
Directed by Marc H. Simon. Co-Directed by Matthew Makar.
So recently I participated in this online chat with McGreeny sponsored by Clorox Greenworks products…
What, you haven’t heard of McGreeny? Ladies, meet McGreeny a.k.a. Josh Dorfman, author of “The Lazy Environmentalist” and “The Lazy Environmentalist on a Budget.” His deal seems to be that basically, we as a species are lazy. So we’ll take steps to avoid destroying the planet as long as we don’t really have to get our of our Lazyboys to do so.
Maybe to a certain extent he’s right. I know Earth month has passed and we’re running the home stretch to summer and iced tea and air conditioning, and we maybe are a little bit lazy and don’t want to worry about how filling the kiddie pool affects our carbon footprint. Does the fact that I freeze my kitchen scraps in plastic ziploc bags and then drive them upstate to my compost pile and then throw away the bags (which are usually on their third or fourth use but still…) actually negate what I’m trying to achieve? Am I too lazy to think that through fully?
Anyway, this online conference was pretty interesting. McGreeny had lots of good tips for going green without breaking a sweat, but I was really struck by the incredible breadth and variety of online resources there are to help you greenify. Talk about not having to leave your LazyBoy! If you haven’t heard of these sites (and I hadn’t heard of most of them) check them out!
Tonic Mailstopper Are you so fed up with junk mail that you’d pay to get rid of it. For twenty bucks a year, you totally can. Plus, when you sign up, they’ll plant 5 trees on your behalf. That’s cool.
Gazelle, MyBoneYard, and greenphone will all recycle your used electronics. They may even pay you money for them. And either resell or recycle them. No kidding.
With RecycleBank earn points for recycling. From your home or business. And redeem them for stuff. Best of all, you don’t even have to sort the recycling. Just put them all in the big bin provided. This program seems to still be in the development phase but I think it’s cool enough to check out now.
Zinio Subscribe to and read your favorite magazines online and save a tree. Or two. Or three thousand.
Freecycle is one of my favorite sites ever. It’s like Craig’s List with no creepy personal ads! Just sign up. List stuff you have to give away. Take stuff you can use. Bye bye landfills.
Ah McGreeny…you set my little green heart aflutter.
I love craft fairs. I love flea markets. I love shopping online. I also dabble in selling online now and again. Is it any surprise that I’m digging the new online marketplace, Silkfair?
Silkfair is Etsy meets Ebay without the listing fees. And let’s face it, it’s a big online world out there. There’s room enough for everyone. Sometimes I want to hit a New York City street fair. Sometimes only the Lewisburg Arts Festival will do. And I can always dream about Brimfield. Maybe you’re hungry for funnel cake. Maybe you want an antique quilt. I’m all for variety. I’m all for choice. And I’m all for browsing antiques, collectibles and handmade items in a well-ventilated, air conditioned room that doesn’t smell like a hot dog vendor. Plus, there’s some pretty cool stuff at pretty low prices to be found at Silkfair.
So what can you buy on Silkfair? Their selling categories (on Silkfair they’re called “departments”) range from “Antiques”, “Vintage”, and “Collectibles”, to “Eco-Friendly”, “Handmade”, and “Personalized”, to “Wholesale.” Right now there are almost 150,000 items listed. 274 of them fall in the category “Baby” including these incredibly hip faux suede patchwork baby boots (called “Tutties”) and the matching bag. In other words, it’s not as totally overwhelming as the other sites but still has a nice variety.
Feel like going shopping? Can’t bear to think what the summer humidity is going to do to your hair? Here’s the great news! The fantastic folks at Silkfair are giving one lucky Babies Gotta Have It reader one free online purchase (up to $30 value) from the Silkfair community! Want to enter? Sit back down in your chair, pour yourself a limeade and read on!
Take a swing by Silkfair. Check out all the items they have to offer (your purchase is not limited to any category) and let me know which one, including the link to the item, you’d like to buy! Maximum value of the item must be $30 to qualify for the giveaway. That’s it! Entering is that easy!
***Want extra chances to win? Do anything listed below and leave me additional comments for each one letting me know what you did! Maximum of three 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): Meet @BabiesGottaHavT at the fair! Win a $30 purchase at Silkfair! http://tinyurl.com/otjdkv
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! Button code is in the right sidebar.
Your email address will remain private and not be shared with anyone. Giveaway only open to those with U.S. addresses. Giveaway begins on Wednesday May 20th and ends on Wednesday June 3rd at 11:59 Eastern Standard Time. On Thursday June 4th, Random.org will select the winner I’ll email you immediately. After my baby 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 baby, 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!
Update! We have a winner!
32
Congratulations Jennai! Enjoy shopping at Silkfair! And thanks to everyone who entered!
…he would totally use the BOB Stroller Diaper Bag. This is a great messenger diaper bag that clips securely to any stroller. It’s cool for guys. Hip for girls. And really well made and practical. And really, why should Mama get all the loot? A daddy diaper bag makes a thoughtful gift for a new dad!
Don’t have a jogging stroller to use this tricked out stroller diaper bag with? Why not win one? BOB is hosting a contest right now to win a brand new Stroller Strides Fitness Stroller? To enter, just snap a pic of you in your very best workout get-up and send it to BOB! Here’s what they say on the contest page at the BOB site:
Hey new moms and moms-to-be, are you ready to get your workout on? Well here’s your chance to win a brand new Stroller Strides Fitness Stroller that’s going to get you rolling and encourage your health and wellness goals, big or small! Based on the BOB Revolution, this stroller comes with a Stroller Strides Fitness Kit and is a perfect companion for Stroller Strides class. To enter, send us a photo of you in your super sweet workout duds, the most creative submission will win! So, are you a spandex queen? Do you and baby match outfits? Show BOB your funky fashion, custom creation, or silly stylings when you’re getting fit!
A free jogging stroller? That’s something Baby, Mama and Daddy’s all gotta have!
What Neil Patrick Harris doesn’t know is how much he looks like my brother. Oh he thinks I attended the Real Chocolate Relief Act kick off at the M&Ms Store in Times Square because he gave away free candy. Well, there’s that. Mama’s not gonna turn down a Snickers Bar.
But mostly, I went so that my friend Katja could take this picture of me.
And I can show you this picture.
That’s my brother Wes and his wife Joss.
So you can kinda see why, in the late 80’s, strangers would literally yell “Hey Doogie” out the windows of passing cars at my brother. Half the time they yelled that. The other half of the time they sang “Tomorrow” loudly at me. Yeah, walking down the sidewalk was an adventure when we were kids.
I also got my picture taken with Red and Yellow (that’s me with my friends Katja and Maria and Red). Red and Yellow smiled a lot and didn’t say much which was a little creepy. They also needed help stepping down off the big platform that held the giant bowl full of candy cuz they totally can’t see their feet. Made me feel a little bit better about that post-baby bulge. At least I can walk down stairs.
Neil Patrick Harris was really sweet and friendly actually. And as my friend Katie pointed out, these photos will be very enjoyable to include in next year’s Christmas Card.
This is one of the prettiest kids cutlery sets you will find. The little Bean and I demoed it a few weeks ago when we first introduced you to the wonderful online store, NoPlastic.ca. Check it out in action here.
This beautiful, stainless steel set comes with a spoon, a fork, chopsticks and a really pretty little case so that you don’t need to dump goopy utensils in your purse or wipe them off with your tee shirt.
The sweet bird engravings on the spoon and fork are exquisite. They’re like those antique sewing scissors my grandmother used.
And the chopsticks unscrew for easy storage. How cool is that?
Best of all? No plastic. BPA-Free. Dishwasher safe.
Best best of all? Thanks to NoPlastic.ca we’re giving a set away to one lucky Babies Gotta Have It reader. Pair it with a pretty BPA-free feeding set for a gorgeous baby shower gift! Want to enter? Read on.
Take a swing by NoPlastic.ca. Check out all the items they have to offer and let me know which one, besides the cutlery set, you’d like to try. If you entered my last NoPlastic giveaway, please stop by the shop again and list a different item. That’s it! Entering is that easy!
***Want extra chances to win? Do anything listed below and leave me additional comments for each one letting me know what you did! Maximum of three 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): Go plastic-free! @BabiesGottaHavT is giving away a portable stainless steel cutlery set from NoPlastic.cahttp://tinyurl.com/owstcj
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! Button code is in the right sidebar.
Your email address will remain private and not be shared with anyone. Giveaway only open to those with U.S. or Canadian addresses. Giveaway begins on Tuesday May 12th and ends on Tuesday May 26th at 11:59 Eastern Standard Time. On Wednesday May 27th, Random.org will select the winner I’ll email you immediately. After my baby 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 baby, 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!
Update: We have a winner! 32
Congratulations Emily! Be sure to check out her blog, Mad Madam Em! Enjoy your gorgeous utensil set from NoPlastic.ca!
The Coverall Bibs from Chic Tots are really not messing around. I love them as art smocks. But they’d also do very well for Spaghetti. Yeah you’re gonna want something pretty intense in a toddler bib when she starts feeding herself pasta with red sauce.
The Bean’s sporting the Chic Tots Chic&Clean Coverall in the Tiny Bubbles Pattern. The split leg design means you can use this with any style high chair. I’m loving the elastic sleeves and snap closure that means no velcro to snag hair! Best of all, it’s wipe-offable, machine-washable, and vinyl-free. Yippee!
I got a sneak peek at the new Robeez collection for fall last week (here’s the big shocker to me: “Robeez” rhymes with “Robbies”!). And let me say, they are more delicious than ever. I loved Robeez soft soled baby shoes (check out my vlog when the little Bean still fit in them…she was so tiny!), and I am so very excited to see that Robeez is making toddler shoes now. There are some fantastic styles coming out this fall in all sizes! Look for the season’s key themes: hippie, earth-loving shoes with a hint of the 70’s for girls; car-themed shoes for boys; pretty and chic for girls; and hipster sporty for boys. They are sweet.
You know, the folks at this shoe preview I attended asked me my opinion about some of the shoes they are developing. They wanted to know which ones I would buy, and I told them, with complete candor, what I thought.
And here’s what I’ll say about that. There are so many adorable, fun, sparkly, flowery, dinosaur and dump-truck full, sporty, and cool shoes out there for kids. Shoes that do not have pictures of animated characters on them. That do not tie into movies or television shows. But that our kids will love. I think. The Bean is not quite to the stage of choosing her own clothes so I’ll get back to you on that. But come on! Some of these shoes are scrumptious.
We pay for the shoes our kids wear, right? I kinda think companies should be putting money back in our 529 plans if our kids are advertising their tv shows and movies on their feet. You know?
All this to say. Check out Robeez. Podiatrists dig them. I think your kids will too.
And I totally already know what boots I’m getting the Bean for next fall.
” and “
.” His deal seems to be that basically, we as a species are lazy. So we’ll take steps to avoid destroying the planet as long as we don’t really have to get our of our Lazyboys to do so.
And here’s what I’ll say about that. There are so many adorable, fun, sparkly, flowery, dinosaur and dump-truck full, sporty, and cool shoes out there for kids. Shoes that do not have pictures of animated characters on them. That do not tie into movies or television shows. But that our kids will love. I think. The Bean is not quite to the stage of choosing her own clothes so I’ll get back to you on that. But come on! Some of these shoes are scrumptious.
