Posts Tagged ‘
nursery ’
Friday, May 10th, 2013
Can I tell you how many cribs we build here at American Baby? About a dozen a year, sometimes more…enough that we know a sturdy crib when we see one. Bonavita Lifetyle Cribs go in the “built to last” category. They are cribs that convert to a toddler bed, and then to a headboard and footboard for a fullsize bed, so though they cost a bit more, they’re made to last for all of childhood. 
There’s another reason I like cribs that grow with your kid…you’re not tempted to try and make a crib work for new baby siblings. You introduce safety hazards every time you take a crib apart and then rebuild it for another newborn, because you risk screws growing loose or going missing. Keeping a piece of furniture with one child, turning it into a toddler bed and then fullsize bed, eliminates those problems. I am something of a safe-sleep evangelist, so here’s a link with more on making your crib safe. 
In time for what may be your first Mother’s Day, Lajobi, the parent company behind Bonavita, will give you the opportunity to win their “Sawyer” Lifestyle Crib, in Linen Gray. The crib only comes out in June 2013, and will be sold exclusively at Buy Buy Baby for $500. To be eligible to win, leave a comment below, up to one a day between now and the end of the day on Wednesday, May 15. We’ll randomly chose one winner after that. Click here to view the official rules. Goody luck!
Monday, March 4th, 2013
The centerpiece of every nursery is the crib. Do you have one that you love? What about a brand of cute crib sheets? Vote for your favorites, then leave a comment below. In your comment you can tell us which exact crib (including color!) and sheet (including pattern!) wins your approval. We’ll pick one random commenter to win the newest version of the Bumbo seat, worth $40. Here are the rules for winning the Bumbo seat. (Note that you can only leave one comment per day to be eligible, between now and the end of March). Don’t forget to also register to win our $250 gift card. Thanks, designing Mama!
Friday, October 5th, 2012
Back in May we had the pleasure of working with Robert and Cortney Novogratz as guest editors on American Baby’s nursery-design page. Their key piece was a fantastic wool rug 
that spells out “Family.” This fall that rug has been the star of a Novogratz collection for CB2, so congratulations, guys! If you haven’t heard of them, the couple star in Home by Novogratz on HGTV and 9 By Design on Bravo. They’ve got seven kids, ages 3 to 15, so it was easy to trust their opinions when it came to nursery design.
We also like that their aesthetic is very modern and urban, but they have a house in the country and the influence of that sneaks in as well. We went around and around on a headline that might pin down their style, and settled on Urban Boho. I’m still not sure that really captures their spirit. They’re the kind of designers you can’t describe in just a few words. 
If there’s a nursery theme or inspiration that you’re thinking of, let us know. Right now we’re getting carried away with a Parisian theme for a future issue. And daydreaming that maybe we can fly to Paris for inspiration. Since that’s not actually going to happen, we’re instead looking at these cool Novogratz chairs. They’re kind of Parisian, no? Don’t you think I need to make a quick trip to the City of Light to make sure?! 
Friday, July 6th, 2012
You probably know Aden + Anais from the muslin swaddle blankets that are so very popular. They’re ubiquitous with “regular parents” but it also seems as if every time we interview a celebrity and ask them what products they can’t live without, they mention Aden + Anais swaddles. I guess famous people, aside from using the blankets to swaddle their baby to sleep and catch baby drool, can use them to shield their baby from photographers!
Well, Aden + Anais is branching out. First I have to mention that they have a yummy new line of crib sheets that are the same soft muslin as their blankets. We haven’t yet had one match up with one of the nursery pages we do in American Baby magazine, but I want it on record that I love them, even if they haven’t made it to our pages yet. They’re also now doing phthalate-free, paraben-free baby skin care products, which I’m using at home on my kids and which are slated to pop up in our September issue. It’s good (and very gentle) stuff.
And finally I want to introduce another new Aden + Anais star, specifically, the Serenity Star. The founder of Aden + Anais is one of my heros, because she balances her business with charity and with raising four lovely girls. (All in Brooklyn, where balancing anything is no joke, and I can say that because I live there too!) One of her parenting hurdles was tracking feedings in an easy way, while also keeping older siblings sleeping soundly. She conceived of a nightlight that could be a soothing thing in kid’s room, which also tells the time, temperature, and lets you log feedings digitally. Oh, it works as a sound machine too! (A more graceful one than the big fan we run in our place to drown out random city noises.) 
Plus the fact that it can light up a soft red, white or blue seems very appropriate for this time of year! Want one? I’ve got one here, and Aden + Anais are willing to give out two more, which means three of you can win a Serenity Star to make life for you and your baby a little easier. It’s a $89.95 product, and if you’re not lucky enough to win one, you can buy one here. To win, just leave a comment below. You can post a comment once a day, through the end of Wednesday, July 11th. Click here for the official rules. Goody luck!
Categories: Babies, Giveaways, GoodyBlog, Shopping & Gear | Tags: Aden & Anais, American Baby, Baby Booty, feeding tracker, Giveaway, nightlight, nursery, Serenity Star
Wednesday, June 20th, 2012
Talk about Baby Booty! Our most amazing sweepstakes of the year actually ends this Friday. PoshTots.com reached out to us to offer one incredibly lucky person a $10,000 giftcard to their site. The winner will also get a one-hour phone consultation with one of the PoshTots designers, so you can hash out, say, the merits of a safari theme over a nautical theme, or whether you want an heirloom-style iron crib or a more modern, sustainable-wood version. (That’s one of their pretty iron cribs on the right, it starred in our June issue!)
Wouldn’t you love to go all crazy and make your kid’s room incredible? Enter right here. The official rules are here. It’s a pleasure to give someone such a grand prize; whoever wins, I hope they share with us what they do with their loot! I’m not allowed to enter, of course, but since I can dream away, I have to say I would take out the IKEA loft bed I bought my daughter (great bed, but a mistake for her tiny room) and get her a daybed instead. 
And then we’d still have thousands more to spend! What would you spend your $10,000 on at PoshTots.com? Leave a comment, but don’t forget to enter the contest!!! Goody luck!
Thursday, March 22nd, 2012
We’ve got several huge Disney fans here in our offices. I’m definitely one of them. Mostly, I love Disney World itself. But when I can’t go down to the parks, I get a lot of joy out of visiting a Disney Store. There’s a big one here in New York City, right in Times Square, where I like to bring my college roommate Tami. She collects Tigger stuff. I was also there a lot (more than I want to admit) when my daughter, Grace, was in full princess mode, and when my son, Joe, thought he had to have every Cars character. I’m serious, the Disney Store has WAY better princess dresses and a lot more Cars figures than any regular big-box store you’ll visit. Does that sound geeky? So be it. You can’t accuse me of having not done my research.
The kids and I in our happy place, Magic Kingdom
The Magic Kingdom in Orlando just turned 40 in October, and now The Disney Store is turning 25. To help them celebrate, you have until the end of the day on the store’s birthday, Wednesday March 28th, to leave a comment here and be registered to win $265.95 worth of Disney Store merch.
Get all this loot!
Be warned: There’s no baby stuff. (But check out the baby line here, I love the grows-with-baby bodysuits.) This giveaway does include plenty for Disneyphiles who appreciate anniversary-labeled gear. It includes T-shirts for Mom, Dad, Sister and Brother; two collectible statues (one worth $99.50 and one worth $44.50); Mickey plush and Sorcerer Mickey Vinylmation. (Never heard of Vinylmation? It’s…a Disney thing. See a bunch here.) And a lot more stuff.
Leave a comment! Tell me if your baby has a favorite Disney character yet, or if your nursery is Disneyfied. We hear that The Lion King has now taken over as a favorite nursery theme, even beating out longtime number-one Disney nursery theme Pooh. You can read the full giveaway rules here. Goody luck!
Wednesday, January 18th, 2012
How about some word association? I say “gender neutral” you say? Green? Yellow? Wrong.
Welcome to the world of orange nurseries. This fun hue is taking over the baby’s room left and right, and it’s easier to work with than moms may think.
You’ll be surprised when you find how versatile orange can be when paired with your existing nursery furniture. Using a subtle pastel shade of orange on your baby’s wall (think: sherbet) and mixing in some fresh white linens and soft green or blue accents will create a fun, funky look for your little one’s first room. If you’re looking for less “fresh” and more “vibrant,” try a brighter orange accent wall and add in your own flair, like blue baby bedding or a cool rug.
Not feeling the look on your walls? No worries. Try starting off with white or light neutral walls, and work your way into this trend with accents such as bedding, a rocker for mom, or any of your other nursery essentials.
Image: Wide shoot of a mother and child in a well designed small but comfortable baby room via Shutterstock.
Friday, May 20th, 2011
Everyday, I’m a proud mom to my son Oliver, but today, I’m a proud, crafty mama. Ohdeedoh, the ultimate blog for all things fabulous in kids’ design and craft, wrote up a flattering (I’m blushing) piece on the June 2011 story Project Nursery about my son’s bedroom.
Visit Ohdeedoh to read their post and take a peak at Parents for all of the craft how-tos!
