Faves of 2012: Win a Movie Gift Basket!

Friday, December 7th, 2012

It’s around this time of year that families like to cuddle up and watch a good movie, and what could be better on a cold night than a little Disney magic? To help kick the holidays into high gear, we’re giving away a basket full of hit Disney flicks to one lucky reader! The prize pack includes Cinderella, Finding Nemo, Brave, The Secret of the Wings, and Santa Paws 2: The Santa Pups. Enter to win by posting a comment below. We’ll pick a winner in a random drawing. For the full rules, click here. Goody luck!

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY.  Open to legal residents of the 50 United States and D.C., 21 years and older. Begins: 9:00 a.m. E.T. on December 7, 2012. Ends: 9:00 a.m. E.T. on December 14, 2012. Subject to Official Rules at www.goodyblog.com. Void where prohibited. Sponsor: Meredith Corporation.

UPDATE: THIS CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED!

Faves of 2012: Win the Parents Gift Guide!

Wednesday, November 14th, 2012

If you’re stumped about what to get your loved ones for the holidays, fear not! We’re bringing you a special seasonal treat: Free gifts! To help spread cheer, we’re giving away a present every day this month from this year’s Parents Gift Guide! There’s sure to be a prize perfect for everyone on your list–even the babysitter. Click here to enter the sweepstakes and to see what awesome gifts you can score. Be sure to enter the sweepstakes each day for a new chance to win. Goody luck!

Win Toys for the Holidays!

Thursday, October 11th, 2012

It’s that time of year again! You know, when Halloween hasn’t happened yet, but you’re already spotting Christmas stuff in stores. To help swing you into the holiday spirit a few months early, we’re giving away a plaything a day from our Best Toys of 2012 guide all month long! That’s right! You’ve got a chance to win a great gift every day to put under your tree! Click here to enter the sweepstakes and see what you can score today, tomorrow, or even next week. Goody luck!

Win Your Bucket List

Friday, July 13th, 2012

What ever happened to the wish list you had as a child—the one where you planned to ride an elephant in Africa, touch the Eiffel tower in Paris, and play in the oceans of Hawaii? If you’re like most adults, your list of whimsical dreams was replaced with paying bills, saving for your kid’s college, and planning for retirement. But what if you had the chance to make your number one childhood wish come true?

Hilton Garden Inn wants to make that happen with their second annual Life’s Ultimate To-Do List contest. Like your very own fairy godmother, Hilton Garden Inn will help 10 people cross off the top goal from their bucket lists—and give them $2,000 and airfare to make it happen. All you have to do is tell Hilton your ultimate wish by August 5th and why you deserve the prize. It’s that simple! (And way easier than planning your next vacation.) Check out Hilton Garden Inn’s facebook to see the rules, recent entries, and to submit your own.

Who said only kids get to have all the fun?

Image: Man parasailing over the ocean via Shutterstock

American Baby’s Baby Booty: Rocking Horse Giveaway!

Thursday, December 8th, 2011

Woody the Rocking Horse

“What should I get a 1-year-old?” is a surprisingly frequent question around here, especially around the holidays. Here’s what I tell people:

1-YEAR-OLDS LOVE BLINKING, MUSIC-PLAYING PLASTIC TOYS. Their parents may hate them, but 1-year-olds love love love them. Why not make a kid happy? And though I’m always one to champion the little guys, toys from big companies are often great hits. Fisher-Price (with their Laugh & Learn line), VTech, Leapfrog, and Playskool all test their toys on real kids and pretty much nail what young toddlers want. Just pay attention to the age grading on the packaging. If it says “12 months and up,” don’t buy it for a 9-month-old and expect him to do much with it. If it says “3 years and up,” take that to heart; it usually means there are small parts that a child under 3 could choke on.

We got a lot of mileage out of this toy car!

TODDLERS ALSO LOVE TO IMITATE THEIR PARENTS. I just adore this about 1-year-olds, and 2-year-olds too. Before babes can walk around on their own, they are more or less stuck watching grown-ups, so when they begin to play, they imitate what they’ve seen, to often hilarious results. My daughter Grace had a toy cell phone, but instead of talking on it, she mostly pretended to be listening, and then would give an occasional big, fake laugh. Anything from pretend cell phones and keys (Parents makes these with Manhattan Toy, see them here) to kitchens (Step2 and Little Tikes make the classics) and toy cars have that I’m-just-like-Mom-and-Dad appeal. Both my kids were obsessed with the Little Tikes Cozy Coupe. We got a lot of mileage, ahem, out of that one!

Julian rocks!

1-YEAR-OLDS WILL PLAY WITH PRETTY TOYS TOO. And these will make their parents much happier. Simple wooden cars are nice, or stacking blocks. Or a pretty wooden rocking horse. A rocking toy is such a classic, and there are so many fun versions. Our executive editor’s mom got her grandson, Julian, this adroable one. Is it a dino or a dragon? Doesn’t matter—the birthday boy loved it!

This year I’m liking Woody the Rocking Horse because he’s a modern-looking but totally classic toy. He’s also only $80, which makes him as affordable as many of the big plastic toys. And he’s got a nice story; Prince Lionheart, the company that makes him, started off in 1973 making rocking horses, you can see their story here. Note: Woody is age-graded 18 months and up, so make sure you’re buying it for a kid heading toward his second birthday!

And good news! One of you lucky ducks will win a Prince Lionheart Woody the Rocking Horse of your very own. Just leave a comment below; you can post once a day through Wednesday. I’d appreciate it if you posted what your own 1-year-old loves to play with! Click here for the full rules. Goody luck!

American Baby’s Baby Booty: Win a Prodigy Car Seat!

Friday, November 4th, 2011

Even if you haven’t had your baby yet, you’ve probably heard that a car seat is tough to install correctly. (Most people can’t do it!) Summer Infant spent years perfecting this new Prodigy infant car seat, which has a panel that guides you through installation—and rewards you with a light-up smiley face when you’ve got things right. Our other fave feature: The straps never need to be rethreaded, a simple tug adjusts them to your baby’s size each and every time. (Important if your baby is a bit bigger when he’s bundled for the cold, for instance!) The Prodigy is $180 at Babies “R” Us, but the team at Summer Infant is letting us give two out to our lucky readers. To enter, just post a comment below between now and Friday, November 11, 2011, and we’ll randomly choose two winners. We’d love for you to tell us your biggest concern when it comes to car seats. And hey…if it’s getting one installed correctly, we also encourage everybody to go to SeatCheck.org, put in your zip code, and find your nearest safety-check station. An expert set of eyes and arms is awesome for getting a car seat in the right way! For full rules, click here. Goody luck!

Win the Best Toys of 2011!

Friday, October 14th, 2011

Just in time for the holidays, we’re giving away enough toys to make your kids very happy on Christmas morning. That’s right! You can take home the awesome playthings in one of five age groups (from baby to big kid) that’s in  our November toy guide. To enter to win a fab prize pack, click here to go to the parents.com contest page. And don’t forget to check back for more great giveaways. Goody luck!

Enter Parents’ Family Vacation Photo Contest!

Monday, August 1st, 2011

Dust off your memory card… It’s time to enter the third annual Parents’ Family Vacation Photo Contest!

No matter if you snapped an amazing photo of your little one dipping her toes in the ocean, playing at the park, or exploring the top of a mountain – we want to see your best shots from your last family trip!

To enter, go to parents.com/vacation-photos to upload up to 6 photos now through October 15th. One grand prize winner will score an amazing trip for a family of four to Jamaica, provided by Jamaica Tourist Board and Delta Vacations, worth nearly $5,000!!!

The prize includes round-trip airfare and ground transportation in Jamaica, 7-days and 6-nights hotel accommodations of your choice, plus your pick of not one, but two exciting family tours (choose from fun options like river tours, tubing, horseback riding, and dune buggies).

Wait, there’s more! We’re giving away a $250 cash prize every week for 11 weeks to the reader whose photo gets the most reader votes in Parents’ Photo Faves gallery. After you enter, you’ll receive a URL that you can forward to family and friends via email and post on Facebook and Twitter to encourage people to vote for your kid’s pic!

To learn more about traveling to Jamaica, go to VisitJamaica.com and visit DeltaVacations.com to learn more about their travel packages.