The segment aired on “Better” a show designed to help you make your life “better” with tips and tricks along the way. There is also a video of our segment on their website, Better.tv. It’s on the right side of the page under “Five Products for Mom.”

She also mentions its use as a nursing cover, which definitely comes in handy when a mom is on the go.

Watch the video and come back with a comment telling us what you think, and why you think Sprout Shell is essential for on the go moms. You’ll be entered in our drawing for a Minky Blanky (coordinating with the Sprout Shell coming soon!)

Started one year ago, Modern Mommies Toolbox is an online resource for parents. Founded by Anna Bignon, a modern mommy herself, the site is a combination store and resource center with “parenting products and tools to make the hardest job on earth a little easier.”

Anna said that as she tried finding products to help her solve the daily challenges parenting brings, it was hard work. Most of the time they were located all over the internet. But, she was happy with her search because she realized there are many great products that “help parents raise well mannered, smart, healthy children.” She was so excited about her finds that she wanted to share them with parents everywhere.

Now, with Modern Mommies Toolbox she is trying to reach more stressed out parents so she can offer solutions to make there lives less stressful and more rewarding. “After all, parenting is the hardest job you’ll ever love,” she said.

But, great products are not the only thing Modern Mommies has to offer. It is also a site where parents can come to network and connect with each other. They can chat, ask questions and offer advice to other parents.

There are also several parenting articles to help caregivers with problems or questions they have.

Anna says her favorite part of running her business is helping other people. “When I can help a parent find a solution to a problem that has been causing turmoil within the family, I can’t tell you the joy that brings to me.”

She is offering Sprout Shell readers a 20% discount on their order from Modern Mommies Toolbox. Just call to place your order and mention the Sprout Shell blog.

(A few lucky people could snag the beloved Pink Lotus infant carrier cover while it’s in stock!)

Over the years, the House of Flowers has received a few upgrades. In addition to being a full-service flower and gift shop, they have about 500 square feet devoted to baby items.

Melody says her favorite part of the business started about 5 years ago when they added the baby department and started doing baby gift registries.

“I have really enjoyed buying the baby products and watching them sell. It makes me feel good that I have purchased something the young mothers want,” Melody said.

They sell most of the things that parents need to prepare for baby, including layette items, blankets, toys, Moses baskets, shoes, socks, nursing covers and diaper bags.

To see all that they offer, store hours and and pics of their newly-refurbished store, check out www.scottsflowers.com

We think Sprout Shell–Infant Carrier Covers would be a great addition to the site since 1. our product is awesome =) and 2. It’s the new store for “BabyCenter.com” which means tons of moms and moms-to-be are going there to buy the essentials for their babies. Where better than to introduce them to Sprout Shell!

Here’s how you can help:

1. Go to Diapers.com. Scroll to the bottom of the page and click “Suggest a Product” (It’s under the Company Info section on the left side of the screen. I’d love to give you a direct link, but it’s a pop-up box)

2. Enter Sprout Shell as the brand name, then tell them about the product and why you like it in your own words. Click Submit and you’re done! Should take 2 minutes.

3. Come back here and leave a comment with your name and that you completed the suggestion–please be honest!

4. We’ll email you a discount code for $5 off in our shop. If we’re picked up by Diapers.com you’ll get another one worth $10!

Thanks for your help! We love you guys!

Check it out here: http://www.thetoyman.com/top_50_2009.html

Guess that this means? After a rigorous evaluation by real moms, they loved our infant carrier cover so much that it received one of the top 50 votes out of more than 500 products!

The full summary and evaluation will be up on TheToyMan.com in the next couple of weeks, but the comments I heard today from the editor were mostly positive. They really liked its multi-functionality as a nursing cover and shopping cart/high chair cover.

We are now inducted into The Toy Man Product Guide where moms can go to find the best products for their children.

Owned by Susan Golson and her two daughters, April and Courtney, the shop came to be after searching all over town for cute “girlie” things for April’s soon-to-be-born daughter. But, there was nothing to find. So, these women then went to work and created a store of their own.

Now, parents, grandparents and friends can find everything they need to welcome Baby in style. Courtney says her favorite part of the business is “Our wonderful pregnant ladies and babies we get to see!”

Their store even has a baby registry so moms-to-be can be sure to get all the essentials–like a Sprout Shell –with the personal touch these women bring.

If you’re in that part of Texas, it’s definitely worth visiting.

Thanks La Bebe Boutique, we’re happy to have you in our Sprout Shell family!

This article was posted on BabyCenter’s MOMformation(TM) blog:

Ready, set, grow up

Posted by Betsy Shaw in Caregivers, Children and happiness, Children’s Health, Current Events, Parenting | December 27th, 2009 | Trackback

During a Christmas Day sermon, Great Britain’s Archbishop of Canterbury (Dr. Rowan Williams) urged parents, and society in general, to stop forcing children to grow up too fast.

Williams points to what he views as a glaring sense of impatience in our society, especially when it comes to independence and maturity. It’s as if we see childhood as something that needs to be overcome, or grown out of, as soon as possible so we can get to the easier, more productive, grown- up stage.

I couldn’t agree more.

I’ve often wondered, since having babies, what the big hurry is. Parenting seems like a race from the get go: Who’s weaned, who’s potty trained, who’s sleeping alone all through the night, who’s reading chapter books? Whoever achieves independence first wins.

I’m certainly guilty of wishing certain stages, namely the relentlessly needy toddler years, to be over and done with, and I have been known to tell my still-whiny four-year-old she’s “not a baby anymore,” but I do try to constantly remind myself, and others, namely grandparents, not to  expect my kids to act like mature adults when they so obviously are not.

This quote, from Williams, rings true:

“Parents should learn to enjoy their children’s dependence on them, instead of forcing them prematurely into independence.”

How do you feel about this? Do you think we expect too much of children? Have we lost perspective when it comes to just how much, and how long children need us, both physically and mentally, in order to feel secure.  Do you ever catch yourself trying to get your kid, be he 2, 4 or 10, to “be a man, not a wuss?”

**Let me know what you think in our comments section

Smart Momma Baby Gear & Gifts is a store located in Raleigh, North Carolina. But, they also have an online store for shopping too! Check it out at: www.smartmomma.com. Heather Burns opened the store in 2005 to educate pregnant women and new moms about the large selection of baby goods that are really out there and which are the best and most practical.

Heather says her favorite part of having her store is talking to her customers about pregnancy and motherhood. As a mother of two boys, ages 3 and 6, she has a lot of knowledge and advice to share. Even in her spare time, Heather still helps give moms great advice and information via Facebook and her blog, found at http://blog.smartmomma.com.

Both inside her store, and on her website, is a wide variety of products for babies and children. “We carry a little bit of everything from furniture and gear to clothing and accessories,” Heather said.

Heather would like to offer our readers a special discount off a purchase from SmartMomma.com. Enter coupon code: TAKE5 for $5 Off any order over $50.

If you’re in the area and want to visit their physical store, it can be found here:

Stonehenge Shops
(Behind Outback Steakhouse)
7420 Creedmoor Rd.
Raleigh, NC 27613
(919) 847-0024 – for sales

Thanks Heather! We’re happy to have you in our Sprout Shell family!

Little by Little is a brick and mortar store that was opened in 2007 by Kathy Little because there were no children’s boutiques in the are and she felt the community needed one. And added bonus is her love for children.

Kathy says she loves every part of her business, from the buying of the products to selling them to her customers. But, the most fun part is meeting all the new parents and grandparents and helping them get just the right things for the children in their lives. It makes her store a happy place.

And people really can find all the things they need at Little by Little. They sell furniture, as well as clothing, gifts and baby essentials (like our carrier covers, of course ;-0)

For a look at what’s in store, check out their website at www.littlebylittleucb.com. While you can’t shop there, it gives you a great idea of the fantastic products they carry.

And, for our lucky readers who live close enough to visit Little by Little, they are offering a great deal:

Mention this post and you will get $5.00 off your purchase of $50.00 or more.

Thanks Kathy and Little by Little. We’re happy to have you in our Sprout Shell family!

She’ll use it to protect her little one from all that winter weather, germs and touchy strangers. Plus it’s ready to go as a nursing cover and shopping cart cover, so it’ll get years of use.

Trust us, it’ll be her most used baby product, (other than diapers, of course)!

But you already have a Sprout Shell? Well, try our new Minky Blanky! It’s the perfect size to keep your little one snug in his car seat, but small enough not to be a burden.

Plus, until Dec. 21, get 20% off everything in our shop!

What a great way to wrap up Christmas for the favorite mom–or baby–in your life!