Posts Tagged ‘
Giveaway ’
Wednesday, May 8th, 2013
When Jane Seymour visited our offices, we totally bonded over all things motherhood. She’s raised four kids (including twins!), and so Mother’s Day is a time to celebrate with her now-big children (those twins are graduating high school!). She also lost her own mother not long ago, which means the holiday is somewhat bittersweet. 
Jane’s jewelry helps her remember both her mom and her brood. In addition to being an actress, Jane paints, and her designs led her to create the Open Hearts jewelry collection with Kay Jewelers. The concept is simple; she likes to paint open-shaped hearts, which reminds her to stay unconditionally loving of the people in her life. We found this sweet video of her elaborating on her inspiration; watch it and feel like you’re having your own deskside meeting with Jane!
In celebration of Mother’s Day, Kay Jewelers will give one winner this diamond “Mom” necklace, made of sterling silver and worth $100. To be eligible to win, just leave a comment below, up to one comment a day between now and the end of the day on Wednesday, May 15. Here are the official rules. Goody luck!
Thursday, April 18th, 2013
I think this doll is having the summer I want to have. I’ve gotten obsessed with making it out to Montana and seeing Yellowstone Park and maybe camping…we’ll see if I can make it happen. First I have to save some cash. Here’s my first money-saving tip: The Our Generation line at Target,
which draws obvious comparisons to a pricier, more exclusive line of 18-inch dolls, is a fraction of the price. Robyn, shown here, sells for $23 or less. It’s a good tip if you feel like you’re running to kids’ birthday parties every weekend and want to get gifts that are nice, but affordable!
The Our Generation line, in addition to doll-sized beds and cars, also has this tricked-out camper, which I wish I could have in real life! One person is going to win Robyn, her camper, and also the cute tent set shown below. Lucky! 
To win, post a comment below, up to one a day between now and Wednesday, April 24. After that we’ll randomly choose one winner to win the doll, camper, and tent, worth about $100 altogether. Here’s where you can read the official rules. Goody luck! 
Thursday, April 11th, 2013
You’re not going to get out of parenthood without having had a car seat or two! Here is the latest and greatest from Snugli: Their All-in-One, a convertible seat that aims to be your main seat if not your one-and-only. It’s got a couple of new, unique features: First, a temperature-regulating fabric that keeps your babe cool in hot weather and toasty in cold weather. Second, it holds a kid up to 110 pounds when used in booster mode! That means she can sit in it until middle school (not that she would, but you get the idea). 
It’s also got all the technology you’d expect such as side-impact protection, a recline option, and a LATCH system for easy installation. By the way, do you need a primer on installing and using a car seat? Roll our video!
Ready to win Snugli’s All in One? For a chance, leave a comment below, up to one a day between now and the end of the day on Wednesday, April 17th. We’ll randomly choose one winner for this $330 car seat! And if you don’t win but want to buy or register for this primo seat, it’s sold at Buy Buy Baby. Check our official rules for all the giveaway details. Goody luck! 
Thursday, April 4th, 2013
Baby girls have a lot of pink around them, and I’m not opposed to it. It’s a happy color, a feminine color, and cute as all get-out. I am in the thrilling position of waiting for a new baby niece to arrive this summer (yay!) and so pink little girl clothes are top-of-mind. I know a popular swaddle brand that also has pink on the brain: Aden + Anais. The founder is a mom of four little girls, and this week she announced a new limited-edition Hello Kitty collection.
And who doesn’t love Hello Kitty? Want a chance to win the entire collection for a little girl in your life? Post a comment here between now and the end of the day on Wednesday, April 10th, up to one comment a day. After that we’ll randomly choose one winner to receive this $160 prize, which includes three muslin swaddles, a hooded towel set, the $55 Dream blanket, and three bibs. Here’s where you can read the official rules. Goody luck!
Thursday, March 28th, 2013
I recently had the pleasure of meeting Brandi Tysinger-Temple, the founder of Lolly Wolly Doodle, a kids’ clothing company that makes most of it’s sales, believe it or not, on Facebook. Every day her company posts pictures of new clothes they create at their headquarters in Lexington, North Carolina. Facebook fans (over half a million of them!) can view the clothes and send a message if there’s a look they’re interested in. Lolly Wolly Doodle sends an invoice, which you have a few days to pay, and then the clothes are shipped out. It’s a simple system, and now they are the largest “store” on all of Facebook! 
That a mom of four created a business that went from her and a few friends to about 100 employees in a few short years is endlessly impressive to me! But then, the clothes are very cute and original. If you’ve got a little girl who loves ruffles, you’ve got to check them out! And know this: Brandi says that some styles sell out in just minutes. (Most disappear after about 72 hours. Talk about fast fashion!)
Lolly Wolly Doodle will give away six bodysuits, worth $17 each, to our American Baby fans. If you win, you can tell us whether you want the hot-pink girl style or the turquoise boy style, and in what size. 
To be eligible, leave a comment below, up to one a day between now and the end of the day on Wednesday, April 3. We’ll randomly choose six winners after that. Read the official rules here. Goody luck! 
Thursday, March 21st, 2013
Who doesn’t love Little Critter? We read the books all the time (see my son Joe with our favorite, about going into the city with Mom, down below) and I was thrilled to talk with the author and illustrator, Mercer Mayer, also shown, on the eve of his launch of the Little Critter app for iOS, Android, Nook and Kindle devices. 
Q: First, what is Little Critter?
Mercer Mayer: “He technically is identifiable, but I don’t tell anybody what it is.”
Q: Is he based on you as a child? Or your own children?
MM: “Everything you do as an author is from that well of your own childhood. I got some advice many years ago from a publisher to ‘Just start with your childhood and lie like hell.’ Little Critter is full of things that happened to me as a child and then I exaggerate when I imagine what a kid might go through.” 
Q: You have kids of your own, right?
MM: “Three boys and a girl, and now grandkids. They just added to the whole pastiche. I would love to find a way to get this into a book: When my eldest boy was 9 years old, he would never go to bed. I would throw him up in the top bunk and he’d scream that he was hungry, or had to go to the bathroom. Then one night he said he was sick. I didn’t believe him…and then he threw up all over me.”
Q: Eeek!
MM: “I write about situations that kids get into that can be overwhelming. But now my books are getting an extra kick in the pants with the apps! There are more possibilities with them.”
Q: The apps sound like they’d be good for Spring break and Summer travel.
MM: “The games are simple for 3- to 7-year-olds. There’s animation and the story pops out. So there’s reading, and it’s educational, but also games, such as a hidden alphabet and color-by-number. The GamePak includes DigiStix, which are interactive stickers that a kid can move around. I know some apps are just for reading, but these two create a whole little world of adventure, and it’s a lot of fun.” 
Q: Are you still writing new books?
MM: “Yes, I’m working on Just a Kite now and finished up Just a Little Love. I write about three a year. I’m still doing it. I guess I don’t know how to stop!”
You can get The Trip-Little Critter Reading Adventure for $3.99 at all the usual channels (iTunes, Google Play, Amazon, Barnes & Noble). And for the first 30 days of the launch, you can buy the additional The Trip-Little Critter GamePak for $2.99 (after that it goes up to $3.99). The GamePack is the one that includes more than 175 cool DigiStix digital stickers.
Want the chance to win both the apps and also a signed giclee print from Mercer Mayer? It’s this collage of Little Critter and his baby brother with their toys, and would look great in a kid’s room! It’s officially worth is $75 but I think it’s fairly priceless. Leave a comment below, up to one a day between now and the end of the day on Wednesday, March 27th. After that we’ll pick one person at random to win both the print and a code for the apps, worth about $83 all together. 
You can click here to read our official rules. Goody luck! 
Thursday, March 14th, 2013
On the heels of last year’s cool build-a-wagon program, Radio Flyer announced a build-a-trike program this month. You can make their classic red trike as simple or as tricked-out as you want, adding on extras such as a stereo for your MP3 player ($20), a canopy ($10), a personalized nameplate ($10), and more. 
Chose from a red or pink base. The starting price of the trike ($75) includes a parent-steering handle, which you can use with your baby 9 months or older until he can peddle on his own. If you’re customizing for a baby or young toddler, I’d recommend adding the seatbelt ($10) and wrap-around tray ($15). Then the trike becomes your supercool stroller substitute! If you go crazy and choose all the add-ons, you can spend as much as $215.
The folks at Radio Flyer are a fun bunch; watch them on YouTube doing the Harlem Shake at their headquarters to get a sense of their spirit! We’re happy to announce that they’ll give one winner a voucher to customize a trike of their own; all you have to do to be eligible to win is to leave a comment below between now and the end of the day on Wednesday, March 20th. You can leave up to one comment a day and we’ll randomly pick the winner. Here’s where you can read all the official rules. Goody luck!
Thursday, March 7th, 2013
There are plenty of products you don’t really “get” until you have a baby, and I’d put a baby carrier right up there. They look cute and 
all when you’re filling out your registry, but the first time you want to take an outing without having your hands tied to a stroller is when the lightbulb goes off and you realize how indispensable a good baby carrier can be.
Here are just a few ways I used my BabyBjörn: To get through airports, to take walks in the woods, to shop in crowds when I didn’t want to be shoving people accidentally with stroller wheels, to attend outdoor festivals and fairs, and to get my older child to preschool while carting along my infant. My BabyBjörn became like a secret weapon to get me out of the house. And my husband could wear it, too, so we could share the load (literally!). In the picture below I’m holding my son while my daughter meets Cinderella!
Note that it can be tricky to try and use any carrier with a brand-new newborn. They do better in an infant car seat snapped into a stroller frame when they’re teeny-tiny. I’d say that for us, the golden age for the BabyBjörn was about 3 months to 9 months, though I used mine (especially with my second child) right past the first birthday.
That’s why I’m excited that BabyBjörn is giving away a carrier to 3 people who leave a comment at this post. Each one is worth $80! You can comment up to once a day between now and the end of the day on Wednesday, March 13, 2013. Here’s where you can read the official rules. Goody luck!
