We Dig Tommee Tippee

Despite my best efforts to freeze time, baby E is approaching 9 months old and we've started thinking about transitioning him to sippy cups.  So when the folks at Tommee Tippee offered me the chance to try out one of theirs I was happy to accept.  I'm not privvy what the Brits are up to these days, so I'd never heard of Tommee Tippee (Britian's #1 feeding brand) and I didn't know what to expect.  The brand is just now available in the U.S., exclusively at Babies "R" Us and coming to Toys "R" Us in March (disclosure time--BRU and TRU are both clients of my employer). 

I'll get to my review in a bit, but the PR person in me is a sucker for a good survey, so you should read this first.  In a newly released study by Harris Interactive of more than 300 recent and expectant mothers across the United States, Tommee Tippee explored the worries about being a mom and raising children that are keeping moms up at night and found some common and not so common themes. The survey found that feeding is one of the biggest sources of "mom-xiety."  Other interesting findings include:

• Almost four in 10 moms (39%) are worried that introducing a bottle will cause their baby to reject breastfeeding.  I returned to work when E was 10 weeks old and this was a huge concern for me.  Luckily he transitioned well and we successfully bottle and breastfeed him.
• Forty-four percent (44%) of moms don’t quite know when to transition from bottle or breastfeeding to drinking from a cup. 
• When moms do transition from bottle or breastfeeding to a cup, 43% are confused about which type of sippy cup spout to use, and when.

Tommee Tippee sent me a training cup from their Explora line, which includes BPA-free toddler drinking and feeding products. Explora products feature advance-flo valves, designed by a physicist to require almost no force to drink from thereby easing the transition to a cup, while still remaining truly spill and leakproof. Each Explora cup is progressively staged with a specific spout and grip to meet the needs of every age while supporting natural oral development.

For baby E, the Explora cup was great for chewing and smacking around a bit.  For me, I really like the fact that the spout cover is built into the cup and therefore can never get lost.  And after witnessing E throw his cup to the ground six or seven million times without a single drop of liquid escaping, I can attest to the leakproof claim.   So while E isn't quite ready to make the move to a sippy cup, I think the Tommee Tippee folks are on to something and I will definitely try more of their products.

Until then, here's video of E's first experience with a sippy cup, shot this morning.

We Dig The Suave Kids Wash Them Grow Campaign

The folks at MomSelect and Suave Kids have asked me to help spread the word about the Suave Kids Wash Them Grow campaign, which encourages parents to use bath time as an opportunity to teach, nurture and transition their children through the stages of growth. As for me, my main goal is to not end up soaked while giving the boys a bath.  I keep my standards low this way I'm pleasantly surprised when it all turns out well in the end.

Anyway, I digress . . . to kick off the campaign, Suave Kids® has launched the Wash Them Grow Sweepstakes, with chances to win weekly prizes of a Family e-Keepsake Kit (that includes a video camera, laptop and digital camera) and the Grand Prize of a family vacation to Orlando. Simply head over to WashThemGrow.com to play the online trivia game (the questions are easy so don't be afraid) and receive an automatic entry into the Suave Kids Wash Them Grow Sweepstakes. You can enter daily until February 22.

So please click the link above and enter.  The blogger who drives the most traffic to the sweepstakes will win a year's supply of Suave Kids® products for herself (or himself) and 10 readers.

Suave Kids sent me four bottles of their new bath products to try out on the boys, and I will post a review once I've had a chance to use them all.  I'm addicted to the Suave Professionals line, so my hopes are high that Suave Kids will be just as good.

We Dig Affordable Nursing Bras

While I'm not one of those in-your-face moms who believes that anyone who doesn't breastfeed their children is evil, but I am proud to have nursed all three of my boys.  I'm 2/3 of the way to my goal of nursing E for a full year and I'm confident we're going to make it.  I've learned along the way that the most important piece of nursing "equipment" is without a doubt a good nursing bra.  Without one, as I've found out the hard way, you're opening yourself to a heap of trouble (pain, engorgement and even--gulp--mastitis)!  The problem with finding a good nursing bra is that very often good=expensive, but I've just received word from Bravado is introducing an affordable new line of nursing wear in Target stores across the country.

To celebrate the launch, I'm working with Bravado to help spread the word abuot the Basics by Bravado “Spot a Mom” sweepstakes in which participating moms will be entered to win $500 worth of must-have items for their baby.

Here’s how you can enter:
-Find the nearest Target store in their area offering Basics by Bravado nursing wear (a complete store listing can be found on the site).

-Visit the store and snap some photos of you finding the Basics by Bravado store display.

-Email their photo, along with your name and contact details to basics@bravadodesigns.com.

Basics by Bravado is an accessible, comfortable and functional nursing wear collection which includes a sleep bra, t-shirt bra and an inner wear camisole. The Basics by Bravado collection offers women who crave Bravado’s products and the knowledge of breastfeeding that come with them, an option that you can grab-and-go at an affordable price. Bravado is offering this collection as part of the company’s commitment that all mothers deserve a great nursing experience.

I'm excited to try the nursing bra Bravado is going to send me.  Please check back soon for a review and giveaway!















 


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We Dig The Earth's Best Wishes Campaign

Evan is an Earth's Best baby, and my older boys were as well.  Every once in a while when there's a sale we'll stray and pick up a few Gerber Organic fruits and veggies, but Earth's Best is second to none with it comes to variety.  With Gourmet Meals like Chicken Mango Risotto and Creamy Chicken Apple Compote--this kid eats better than me, and and it's no wonder that the women at his day care center nicknamed him "Heavy E." 

For the record, he's big boned. 

2010 is a banner year for Earth’s Best, and they're celebrating their 25th Anniversary with a Wishes Campaign where they're inviting parents and grandparents to share their own wishes for their baby’s future.

These wishes will be shared with the online community and entered into a sweepstakes where one lucky child will win a $25,000 savings bond from Earth’s Best.  

Simply visit http://www.earthsbest.com/ and submit a wish to be entered.  In addition to the grand prize, there are 4 First Prizes: Earth’s Best Organic Birthday Bash ($850 value) and 25 Second Prizes: Earth’s Best Gift Pack ($38.99 value).  Also, each month 25 winners will be randomly selected to receive a $25 U.S. Savings Bond and $25 in Earth’s Best coupons to help them save for their baby now and in the future.  As an added bonus, everyone who submits a wish will be mailed coupons for the complete array of Earth’s best products.  We buy ours in bulk at Babies R Us or Buy Buy Baby because they both keep a nice variety of the 12-packs in stock.

When you're done submitting your wish, be sure to click around and visit all the new features on Earth’s Best's newly relaunched web site and stop by their new Facebook page, both of which are worth checking out, especially if you're into coupons (and who isnt?).

The information in this post was provided by Earth's Best.

We Dig Tassimo's Single-Cup Beverage System

Two days before Christmas I arrived home from work to find a huge Tassimo box on my front steps.  My first thought was that my husband ordered a very nice gift for himself and didn't tell me.  However, upon further inspection I learned that the good folks at Kraft foods and DKC Public Relations (no contact name or info was included or I'd send a personal thank you, so if you work at DKC and you know who sent this to me, please let me know) sent a Tassmio Single-Cup Beverage System and an assortment of coffees and tea for me to review. 

The Tassimo Suprema Bosch machine is a one-cup system that works exclusively with T Discs to make a wide variety of hot beverages.  Each T Disc features a special barcode with unique information to tell the machine the size of the drink, the amount of water required, its optimal temperature, and how long to brew it. All the brewing happens inside the T Disc, keeping the machine clean and ready to use.


I'm not a coffee drinker and I rarely stray from my tried and true Lipton black tea, so I wasn't over the moon over the delivery.  My husband the coffee snob, on the other hand, was pretty psyched so we went to work setting it up right away.  The set up was a breeze and after a few minutes he was enjoying his coffee.  Feeling left out of the party, I decided to be brave and brew myself a Chai Tea Latte.  I was hooked after the first sip. 

There's a beverage for just about everyone, and you can see the full list here.  You can also do what I did and gather my stack of 20% off Bed Bath and Beyond coupons and stock up on an assortment of T Discs.  Ok, who am I kidding?  I bought Chai Tea Latte and lots of it. 

The Tassimo Single-Cup Beverage Systems come with a steep price tag (the Suprema costs $170 retail), but if you time it right (i.e. when there's a rebate) and use coupons, you can get a good deal.  You can read about how Coast 2 Coast Mom did it and also enter her giveaway to win your own Tassimo Suprema.  If you're a coffee lover and a mess hater, you'll be a fan. 

Disclosure:  Kraft Foods and DKC Public Relations sent me the Tassimo Suprema for free.

We Dig Kiddopotamus

As I type this entry it is 16 degrees where I live.  16 is really, really freaking cold.  If you've ever had the pleasure of having to dress an infant to venture outside in the winter weather, you know how awful it is to cram your precious little one into a puffy jacket that barely fits in the infant carrier.  And don't even get me started on getting the buckle to connect. 

When my oldest son was a baby I found the greatest product ever--called a Nojo--that covered the entire infant carrier except for an opening for his head.  I searched my house high and low for the Nojo and couldn't find it anywhere.  Dejected, I decided to bite the bullet and purchase a new one, but there was a big problem--I couldn't find the Nojo anywhere.  What I found instead was the Kiddopotamus PoshPouch carrier cover, which is so warm and cozy that I no longer have to bust out the dreaded winter coat.  I simply cover the baby's head with a hat, tuck him into a blanket and cover the entire carrier with the Kiddopotamus carrier cover.  My favorite part is that it easily zips open so when we arrive at our destination all I have to do is unzip and we're set.  There's no need to remove the baby from the carrier, which is most excellent when he falls asleep.  It also doesn't hurt that everywhere we go people ooohh and ahhhh about how cute and cozy my little guy looks inside the carrier cover. 

You can find other carrier covers on the market, but at $30 (I've seen some that cost nearly three times that amount), it's a great value and money well spent.

I know I'm raving like I'm on the Kiddopotamus payroll, but I have absolutely no affiliation with the company. 

We Dig 5 Minutes for Mom's Under the Tree 2009 Program

Our friends at 5 Minutes for Mom are offering some great Christmas giveaways this year.  Be sure to check back often as new posts are going up all the time.

In addition to getting some great stuff for the kids in your life, please check out Under the Tree 2009--a chance to spread some Christmas love to families in need through the generosity of the companies contributing to the Christmas Giveaway.
If you know a family who will not be able to provide presents for their children this Christmas, click over and read more about Under the Tree and how you can nominate a family in need.