The CJ Foundation for SIDS has given millions of dollars to support SIDS research and provide public education and awareness about SIDS risk reduction.  As the largest non-governmental funder of programs meeting the needs of the SIDS community, they participated in funding the research cited above. And I am so excited to share with you the CJ Foundation’s new initiative: Sleep in Safety, Grow in Style. According to the SSGS site,

“The CJ Foundation’s Sleep in Safety, Grow in Style campaign
aims to
educate consumers and
raise public awareness about
what constitutes a safe sleep environment for infants.
We will help parents and caregivers learn how to create nurseries with style
and safe sleeping environments for babies that can cost less, be beautiful and
comforting, grow with your child, and most importantly
significantly reduce the risk of SIDS and
other sleep related infant deaths.”

Let’s decorate our babies’ nurseries with an eye toward style and sleep safety! SSGS offers a webpage with Design Safety Tips as well as Sleep Safety Tips. Let me share their list of Sleep Safety Guidelines with you here (check out the site for more detail about each guideline:

• Always lay your baby to sleep face up
• Remove all loose bedding, bumpers, stuffed animals, and pillows from the crib
• Don’t let your baby get too hot
• Control room temperature where baby is sleeping
• Consider using a fan to increase circulation in baby’s room
• Lay your baby to sleep in an approved crib, on a firm-fitting mattress
• Don’t share sleep surfaces
• Don’t smoke while pregnant and never smoke near your infant
• Create a healthy lifestyle for you and your baby
• If possible, breastfeed your baby
• Offer your baby a pacifier at all sleep times
• Put your baby on his or her tummy to play when your baby is awake and supervised
• Share these tips with everyone who cares for your baby

One of my favorite baby and toddler products companies, aden + anais, has partnered with SSGS to promote safe sleep. The CJ Foundation recommends the use of wearable blankets and sleepsacks in place of blankets to keep infants warm while sleeping. Each aden + anais cozy sleeping bag is made of 100% breathable muslin cotton, which allows baby’s body temperature to adjust naturally, reducing the risk of overheating. This time of the year I feel like I am always cold. And I have really turned to sleepsacks and wearable blankets to keep my Little Bean warm and snuggy in the winter months without overheating her to a dangerous degree.  aden + anais sleeping bags are the perfect solution, and the muslin they are made of just gets softer and softer with each wash. I have absolutely observed this with the washcloths I bought on babysteals.com! So what’s the deal with muslin?  This ancient fabric, traditional for swaddling, has an open, loose weave that is breathable and allows air to circulate around your baby.

And their mod, stylish patterns are to die for. No need to sacrifice appearance when you add these wearable blankets to your nursery. They are adorable.  And I’m delighted announce that the great people behind aden + anais are giving one Babies Gotta Have It a sleeping bag of your choice! Want to enter? Read on!

To Enter the aden + anais Giveaway

• MANDATORY ENTRY #1: Browse aden + anais’ selection of stylish cozy sleeping bags.  Come back and leave a comment on this post saying which pattern you would chose 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 nine entries per person.

• Follow me on Twitter and Tweet this giveaway  just cut and paste): Win a cozy sleepsack and learn about the CJ Foundation’s SIDS education & awareness efforts @BabiesGottaHavT http://tinyurl.com/ydly8tw
• Become a Fan of aden + anais on Facebook. Click HERE!
• Become a Fan of the CJ Foundation for SIDS on Facebook. 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 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.  and Canadian addresses. Must be 18 or older to win. Giveaway begins on Friday February 5th and ends on Monday February 22nd at 11:59 Eastern Standard Time. On Tuesday February 23rd,  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: aden + anais offered the cozy sleeping bag to the winner of this giveaway at their expense.  Additionally, they gave me a cozy sleeping bag as well 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.

Hearts. Cupids. Flowers. Boxes of Candy. Valentine’s Day.

Yeah all that sounds good to me.  But when it comes down to it, what do you get the man in your life for Valentine’s Day? I feel like I just went through all this about a week ago for the holidays. So how lame would it be to buy my husband Season Three of “Battlestar Galactica” for Valentine’s Day when I got him Season Two for Christmas? Way lame?  Well…maybe…

When it comes to gifts for guys, a DVD is probably a good idea.  An even better idea? Throw in some food.  Let’s face it.  Guys like to watch TV.  Guys like to watch movies.  Guys like sports. Guys like to eat. Stereotypical? Kinda. True? At least in this house it is.

So this Valentine’s Day, consider a gift from the awesome movie themed gift box company, Movie Noodle!  Movie Noodle offers customizable, movie-themed gift boxes complete with a DVD of the buyer’s choice.  Each package comes stuffed with candy, popcorn and soda, as well as a few novelty items to complement the theme of your package, and a new DVD, of course. Once your package arrives, just open it up and unwrap everything you need to have a movie night right in your own home…without the cost of a babysitter!

For the guy’s-guy consider the Football Movie Night, Poker Movie Night, Baseball Movie Night, Nascar Movie Night, or even…and here I’m about to give you dream girl status…the Horror Movie Night. Yes, you would officially be the best girlfriend/wife/mom/aunt ever if you gave the guy in your life a Movie Noodle Horror Movie Night package for Valentine’s Day.  Also hot with guys are the “For Him” Packages which include a Mission Impossible Package, Die Hard Package, The Office Package, Batman Package and Beverly Hills Cop Package.  You say he’s seen these movies already? Yeah, have you ever noticed how guys will, in the midst of channel surfing, land on “The Bourne Identity” about an hour into the movie, and watch it again? And again? And again? Yeah he’ll dig the “Die Hard” Package.

Buy It: Go to MovieNoodle, order a package of your choice, and mention in your note to the seller that you heard about Movie Noodle on Babies Gotta Have It. They’ll throw in a free chocolate rose with your order.
Win It: The awesome couple behind Movie Noodle has offered a free Pick a Flick Package to one lucky Babies Gotta Have It reader. Keep it for yourself or send it anywhere in the U.S. Want to enter? Read on.

To Enter the Movie Noodle Giveaway

• MANDATORY ENTRY #1: Head over to MovieNoodle.com and check out all of the DVDs they offer for the Pick A Flick Package (click HERE to see the list). Come back and leave a comment on this post saying which movie from their selection you’d choose for your free Pick a Flick Package.  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 sidebar to do so easily) and Tweet this giveaway (I’ve even made it easy for you, just cut and paste): Check out the great Movie Themed Gift Boxes you can send your guy this V-Day @Movie_Noodle! Win one here: http://tinyurl.com/ybxyf5g
• Follow Movie Noodle 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–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 Saturday January 29th and ends on Saturday February 6th at 11:59 Eastern Standard Time. On Sunday February 7th,  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: Movie Noodle has offered the Pick A Flick Package to the winner of this giveaway at their expense.  I was not compensated monetarily for writing 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: 11″  Congratulations Shay Lee! Enjoy your Movie Noodle Package!  And for everyone who didn’t win–the offer for a free Valentine’s Day Chocolate Rose is good through Valentine’s Day if you mention “I saw you on Babies Gotta Have It” in a note to the seller when you buy your Movie Noodle Package! Enjoy!

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!

Way back in December I had breakfast with Wendy Bellissimo. Well kind of.  Thanks to the generous folks at Q-Tips I ate some super yummy food at a gorgeously decorated restaurant with her and got the skinny on her suggestions for decorating your baby’s nursery…as well as a sneak peek at the pretty darned cute new Q-Tips packaging.  But more on that later.

I am actually pretty proud of how we decorated Bean’s room.  I really couldn’t do anything crazy girly. That’s just not my style. And when we had to make choices about paint colors we didn’t know if we’d have a boy or a girl.  The walls are a gorgeous sagey green (Benjamin Moore’s Silken Pine) and the trim is white.  We found a yellow braid rug at Home Goods that was insanely reduced because of a black mark on one side (yeah, we turned it over).  My Mom made curtains.  And we painted old pieces of family furniture in a lilac and light yellow color so that they all matched.  I splurged on a crib (the Stokke Sleepi Crib) because it’s so small and streamlined and perfect for apartment living.  And we didn’t really spend a thing on any of the other furniture.  Oh yeah, our friends Larry and Lisa gave us their glider.  It was a light blue check but I threw purple blankets over it and it was dandy.   We hung up two of those floating shelves and filled them with a mixture of antique and new things–including a vintage Boston Red Sox pennant (thank you New England branch of the family). As it turned out, according to Wendy Bellissimo we did some of it right. So here are her tips for readying your room for baby:

• Look to create a calming yet inspiring environment.
• Drop that paintbrush! Resist the urge to paint first.  Begin by clearing out the entire room and creating a blank palette.
• Become your own designer! Browse magazines, the internet and books and create your very own inspiration book or board, filled with ideas that speak to you.
• Go back in your room and consider the arrangement of your main pieces (most likely your crib, changing table, and rocker). Then incorporate your fabrics.  And only then choose your paint color.
• Then go crazy and stock that nursery!
• Choose whites or pale greens if you don’t know the baby’s gender…then accent accordingly when the time comes.
• Think long term when you select your furniture.  Are these pieces that can grow with your child?  Or choose gender neutral pieces so you can pass them along to a sibling to come.
• If possible, replace all your light switches with dimmer switches so bedtime can be calm and soothing (I LOVE this idea…totally wish we had been able to do it).
• And finally…incorporate things that were yours or your mother’s when you were children to give the room a really special touch.  I am so glad we did this.  Plus, hasn’t your Mom been bugging you to finally clear out your room so she can put in a home gym? Now’s the time, gals.

And may I say, the food was excellent.

When you’re stocking the changing table, be sure to check out the adorable new Q-Tips packaging.  These whimsical decorative boxes will blend in with lots of nursery styles.  They are small and sleek enough that you can easily keep them out where you can access them quickly, without needing to deal with those cumbersome boxes grown-up Q-Tips come in or finding another little basket to put them in.  Super idea, as far as I’m concerned!

Want to try them?  Thanks to Q-Tips, one lucky Babies Gotta Have It reader will win two boxes of Q-Tips Baby Packs. They will be a wonderful addition to your wee one’s nursery, or a great little item to tuck into a Baby Shower gift!  Want to enter?  Read on!

To Enter the Q-Tips Baby Packs Giveaway

• MANDATORY ENTRY #1: Leave a comment on this post.  Share a nursery decorating tip if you’d like. Or just say hi!  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 Q-Tips New Baby Packs @BabiesGottaHavT Enter today! http://tinyurl.com/yzmd72v
• 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 Friday January 22nd and ends on Friday February 5th at 11:59 Eastern Standard Time. On Monday February 8th,  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: Q-Tips offered the above pictured baby packs for the winner of this giveaway.  They provided the delicious breakfast I attended and a small gift bag upon leaving.  I was not compensated monetarily for writing 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: 18″  Congratulations Sandra!  Thanks so much to everyone who entered!  Be sure to check out my current giveaways!

My baby girl loves her hair. She has, however,  had only two hair cuts in her entire life. We took her to the fancy schmancy overpriced NYC hair cutting place for kids, Cozy’s…where your kid can sit in a cool car and watch videos and have a bevy of really friendly stylists blowing bubbles and singing songs. The amazingly skilled stylist cut her hair quickly, efficiently and beautifully. And the Little Bean howled and cried the entire time. So now when I say “Bean, do you want to get a haircut?,” she smiles sweetly and says “No thank you.” Even when I add the most tempting of all incentives…”we’ll get a cupcake afterward,” she still replies in a maddeningly polite voice “No thank you, Mama.”

Now, many of you are no doubt thinking to yourselves, “She’s two for Pete’s sake. Get our your craft scissors and snip a bit.”  Well, I tried that once…when the Bean was fourteen months old.  This is what happened.

I am still traumatized.

The Little Bean is a Leo.  According to Cindy, the super insightful astrologer that did our hair and wigs for the show I just closed, Leos are all about their hair.  The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. I can’t bear to mess up her hair again.  So sometime soon, in the not so far future, along with the overdue dentist and eye doctor and veterinarian appointments, I will make an appointment to have the Bean’s hair cut.

Until then…I have to say that the Bean looks unbearably adorable in teeny tiny cute as a button clippies! As soon as her hair recovered from the above abomination, I went to my super fave website, Etsy and ordered adorable hair clips from Shining Stars Boutique.  Unlike the toddler hair clips I got from a major retail store that shall remain nameless, the underside of these clippies are fully lined so no nasty scraping from the metal clippy bottom against your baby’s sweet head.  The awesome Mamas who started Shining Stars Boutique use non-slip velcro on each of the clippes so they stay put in fine hair, seal the ends of the ribbon to prevent fraying, and offer really really affordable prices.  And did I mention that the styles are a-dor-a-ble? Feminine but not cutesy. Girly but not over the top.  Ahhhh, I love Etsy.  I purchased the Sizzling Summer Fun Mini Bow collection.  The colors are bright and cheerful and go with everything.  We’ve used them so well that all but three have been snatched by elves and are missing.

So if your little angel is absolutely positively in no way shape or form going to sit through a hair cut, no matter how awesome the barber chairs are…and even if she does deign to get a haircut now and again…check out Shining Stars Boutique.  And just in time for February 14th, I am so happy to let you know that Jessica at Shining Stars has offered three adorable sets of Valentines Day (but really, you can use them all year) clippies to give away to one lucky Babies Gotta Have It reader.  The winner of this giveaway will receive all three sets of clippies featured in this post: the Red Butterfly Hair Clippie, the Light Pink and Red Lollipop Mini Hair Bow Clippies, and the Valentine’s Day Shocking Pink, Red, and Light Pink Beaded Felt Hearts on a Scalloped Flower Set.  Want to enter?  Read on!

To Enter the Shining Stars Boutique Clippies Giveaway

• MANDATORY ENTRY #1: Check out the Shining Stars Boutique Etsy Shop.  Come back and share one product you’d love to try besides the clippies featured in this post!  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 adorable Valentines Day Hair Clippies @BabiesGottaHavT.  Enter today! http://tinyurl.com/yekl8n7
• 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 Tuesday January 19th and ends on Tuesday February 2nd at 11:59 Eastern Standard Time. On Wednesday February 3rd,  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: Shining Stars Boutique is offering the above pictured clippies for the winner of this giveaway.  I was not given any product from them personally, nor was   I compensated in any way for writing 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: 18! Congratulations Michelle Frame! And thanks so much to everyone who entered!

The Early Years Baby Tea Party!  So cute!  A plush tea set for your baby girl complete with a crinkly croissant and a cupcake!  How cute is that? This would make such a unique and wonderful baby gift!

The Early Years Rocket Baby Play Set That little green alien is absolutely the most adorable!  I love this baby boy plush toy set so much!

The Wild Science Hyperlauncher Ball Factory Ok this is for kids ages 8 and up, but I couldn’t resist. You can make your own super balls!  And then launch them!  My nephew would LOVE this!

The Wild Science Beautiful Blob Slime Factory For girls who like gloop!  There are lots of us out there!  Make crystals! Make slimy blue glass worms and more!  For ages 10 and up!  And the grown-ups who love them!

I don’t have a photo of them but the ant and worm farms they are coming out with are so next generation it’s amazing! Just look for them in the stores.  Like habitrails for bugs!

Calico Critters Country Tree House Complete with trap doors, water slides and bridges.  This is so delicious and so fun!  Did I mention it has a hot tub and a gazebo? For ages three and up.  Sign me up!

Now here’s the awesome thing this company did! So I love these toys and International Playthings.  I was about to leave the media day and head over to the theater where I’m working, and I happened to mention that we’re doing a toy drive…oh yeah, you know where this is going.  The wonderful wardrobe union who take such good care of actors and their costumes sponsors a holiday toy drive every year.  This year all the toys are benefiting Housing Works and going to HIV positive homeless children. So I happen to mention this toy drive… and the representatives from International Playthings  just up and give me a huge box full of the most adorable Calico Critters Christmas sets called “Calico Christmas” to contribute to the toy drive.   Did I mention the box was huge?  It was!  So thank you so much International Playthings!  For making this a very merry and bright holiday for so many children!

And call me when the ant farms hit the stores!

Oh yeah…and they gave me one Calico Christmas set to GIVE AWAY! Want to enter?  Read on!

To Enter the Calico Critters Calico Christmas Giveaway

• MANDATORY ENTRY #1: Check out the Calico Critters at International Playthings.  Come back and share one Calico Critters play set or product you’d love to try besides the ones featured in this post!  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 Calico Critters Christmas Toy Set @BabiesGottaHavT.  Enter today! http://tinyurl.com/ybg8fkb
• 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 Thursday December 17th and ends on Saturday December 26nd at 11:59 Eastern Standard Time. On Sunday December 27th,  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: International Playthings gave me a huge box of toys for charity (just cuz they’re nice), a Calico Christmas set for my child and one  for the winner of this giveaway.  I was not compensated in any way for writing 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:  100″  Congratulations Snowflake07 (Audra) Thanks so much to everyone who entered!  Happy New Year!

Mama Doni’s “Chanukah Fever” Happy Chanukah Everyone!  Okay, this CD is a hoot!  The Little Bean and I have been dancing to this upbeat, funny, and festive CD since we got it a few weeks ago.  Who is Mama Doni?  She’s a Montclair, NJ mama of two who has written and recorded the most hilarious and fun music for Chanukah!  Her music has been called “Wacky Jewish Indie-rock for kids,” and she herself compared to Weird Al Yankovic (for the hilarious and surprisingly insightful lyrics) and Sarah Silverman (but much cleaner and only the parts of her show where she innocently sings her heart out) by KIWI Magazine.  I think she’s a trip, and her music would make a wonderful Chanukah gift or addition to this year’s Chanukah party.  Watch the hilarious kids music video “Funky Gold Menorah” on the homepage of her super fun website!  Enjoy!

“Rockin’ Rollin and Ridin’” With Rebecca Frezza and Big Truck If you loved the music of the 80’s you and your kids will rock out together to “Rockin’ Rollin’ and Ridin’”.  Rebecca Frezza is another Mama from Montclair (maybe I should think  about movin’ to Jersey too!) who, with her seven piece band, Big Truck, has written and released a fun, boppin’ CD for kids that will have you and your kids dancing around the family room in no time!  The pop sound of some of the songs is mixed with Big Truck’s signature bluesy rock sound and a fun song called “Hey-O” featuring Roscoe Orman (Sesame Street’s ‘Gordon”).  “Hey-O” is a catchy song that you and your kids will be singing along with at the very first hearing!  No joke!  Though my toddler loves the music, it’s really designed for elementary-school aged kids who are too old for preschool music but too young for mainstream  adult “pop” music.  I’d say she’s totally hit that mark with this CD.  Click here to sample a few of the tunes on this CD, and here to buy it just in time for the holidays!  You’ll be glad you did.

Bari Koral “Rock and Roll Garden” Okay so this is one you won’t be able to get until January 14th.  But we got a sneak listen to “Rock and Roll Garden”, and the Little Bean absolutely loves it and frequently requests it by name (totally adorable when she does, by the way).  Bari Koral has been compared to Jewel, Nora Jones and Joan Osborne.  This kinda seals it for me.  Her voice is butter.  Oh, and she was featured in the New York Times.  That’s not uncool.  She released three albums for grown-ups before beginning an amazing and very successful journey into Family Music.  Check out her website to hear a sample of her tunes (click on the little recorder icon on the right side of the home page) and links to purchase all of her other albums on Amazon.  While you’re at it,   Preorder “Rock and Roll Garden” today!

“Trying Funny Stuff” New DVD from The Jimmies No discussion of kids music would be complete without a mention of my gal Ashley Albert and the amazing Jimmies!  I love love love this group and so will your kids.  Click here to hear a sample of their tunes and invite me over to hear my two year old sing along with them. My elementary age neices and nephews love them.  And so do the kids across the country who hear them on xm kids.  How awesome is that?  This DVD contains six hilarious music videos, a 45 minute concert performance, sing-along tracks, “Behind the Scenes” featurettes, and an audio CD of the concert.  The music videos are fantastic–beautifully done, fun, and funny.  And even better, sure you can order the DVD on their site, but you can also just walk into Barnes and Noble…and BUY IT!  I love love love this as a holiday gift for the kids in your life.  Totally unique.  Totally affordable.  Totally fun.

So do it guys!  Get your kids some new music for Chanukah and Christmas!  It’s the holidays!  Rock on!

Disclaimer, I was sent each of these CDs and DVDs to review at no cost. The opinions expressed are entirely my own and were not approved or read by any of the groups involved before posting.

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!

“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!

From time to time lately I look at my dear but irascible twenty-eight month old and miss the snuggly bundle of blankets and gugrling that she was two years ago at this time…

And then I remember the puke.  The copious, voluminous, fountains of egested breast milk that sweet beautiful baby could be.  And even worse, the public puke. Right on your good Anthropologie tee that still looks hot even with the baby weight.  I remember my friend Sarah quoting her pediatrician.  “Spitting up is totally normal.  It isn’t a medical problem.  It’s a laundry problem.”  And when you’re out and about in the world it’s a fashion problem, and a disposal problem.  Sure you can wipe it up with a burp cloth, but then where do you put the sopping stinky cloth?  In your cute new diaper bag?

So the clever couple behind Ready Go Baby decided to address this laundry problem in a really creative and cute way…with a kickin’ name that makes me giggle every time I see it.  Mamas with playgroup upchuck crises–I give you The Puke Purse.

Made in Canada from 100% cotton, the Puke Purse is a cute and reversible towel that is designed to contain your baby’s mess.  When the puke happens, as it inevitably will, simply put your  hand inside the puke purse and wipe up the glop.  Then grab the little ribbon inside the towel, pull it out (thereby turning the purse inside out), close it, and seal with velcro. Voila.  You can drop it in your diaper bag and the mess will stay nicely contained until you get home and toss the whole thing in the washing machine.

Genius.  I totally wish I had one two years ago.

This would make such a great stocking stuffer for the Mama in your life!  And thanks to Colin and Nancy, the mom and dad who developed, own and run Ready Go Baby, I’ve got two to offer!  Win a Puke Purse in either the Pink Butterflies Pattern or Duckies Pattern the Want to enter?  Read on!

To Enter the Puke Purse Giveaway

• MANDATORY ENTRY #1: Swing by Ready Go Baby and browse their selection of baby products.  Come back and tell me which product other than the Puke Purse you’d like to try.  ALSO, tell me if you’d like to win the Duckies or Butterflies pattern!  Two winners will be chosen!  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):  Got a messy baby? Win a Puke Purse from @BabiesGottaHavT! http://tinyurl.com/ykfscoo
• Follow Ready Go 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 Wednesday December 2nd and ends on Saturday December 12th at 11:59 Eastern Standard Time. On Sunday December 13th,  Random.org will select the winner (I’ll keep running the numbers and the first person choosing each pattern will win), 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: Ready Go Baby has provided the puke purses to give away to the winner.  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 two winners!  Random.org says “Result:  50” and  “Result:  37” .  Congratulations NGS and Kristen Long! Thanks to everyone who entered!