By Emily @ Baby Dickey, on April 28th, 2012%
Project PlaySmart is a free members-only site that has weekly sales on child and parenting products. What makes them different from other “deal” websites? Their items are carefully selected for their high quality and educational value. I love getting Ryan educational toys and he loves playing with them!
Project PlaySmart has their products sorted by age: newborn to 12 months, 12-24 months, age 2, ages 3-4, ages 5-7, and ages 8-12.
Another feature I love is that these aren’t just daily deals, like most sites. They’re ongoing. They’ll post new toys each week for each category, but you can still access the previous ones. They’re sold for up to 50% retail prices.
Here’s just an example of what they have–some of my favorites from the newborn to 12 months group (for baby Rebecca) and the age 2 group (for Ryan):
For older kids, there’s this squishy human body toy. The science nerd in me really wants it. I mean, I teach human biology to college students… they’d like it, right?! Or Ryan will play with it when he gets older… okay, maybe I just want it for me 
I tried the site out and was very pleased. It’s well organized and easy to navigate. I ended up choosing the Bilibo toy for Ryan. I’ve been eyeing these things for awhile, so I was pretty excited to find it at Project PlaySmart for just $20. The imaginative possibilities with this toy are just endless!
Is it a hat? A chair? A stool? Maybe it’s a bucket for toys. Or a water table or sand box toy. How about a helmet for fighting dragons or a train tunnel or doll cradle. When it arrived, I just handed it to Ryan and didn’t say anything about it.. I wanted to see what he thought it was. It immediately went on his head! And when he discovered those two little holes, he lined them up with his eyes like glasses, haha. He giggled away. Then he turned it upside-down on the floor and stood on it and jumped off. After he played awhile, I tried to get him to sit in it–he wouldn’t. I don’t think he trusted it, haha.
Project PlaySmart shipped super fast, which seems to be an anomaly among deal websites, so that was really nice! I continue to check our their sales and products and recommend them to other parents!
GIVEAWAY: one lucky reader will win a $25 gift card to use on anything they’d like at Project PlaySmart! Please use the form below to enter–none of the entry options are mandatory so you can do as many or as few as you’d like! Good luck!
Click Here to Go!
By Emily @ Baby Dickey, on April 28th, 2012%
Philips AVENT is “a leader in parenting and baby products.” I’m sure you’re familiar with the name and have seen their products in the store and on baby registries. They have a line of great products for breastfeeding, bottle feeding, toddler feeding, baby monitors, and much more.
They started in 1984 with a newly designed baby bottle that was easier to use with a wide neck and base and more comfortable for the baby with a soft, odorless nipple and a venting system to reduce colic. They set the standard for all future baby bottles!
For our review, we were sent a product for each of our children. First, the Breastfeeding Starter Kit. It comes with 12 daytime breast pads, 6 nighttime breast pads, 2 thermo-gel pads, a washable pouch, and a bra clip.
 As your milk is regulating after you have a baby, breast pads are an absolute MUST. And since you tend to nurse less at night, there’s more leaking and thicker “nighttime” pads are definitely needed. So I really like that this kit comes with both types!
After your baby is born, you also go through an engorgement phase while your body is still regulating. It is quite uncomfortable and sometimes painful… those Termo-Gel pads come in very handy!!! When you want to soothe the breasts and lessen engorgement, refrigerate them and use them cold. If you want to help increase supply, warm them up with warm water or in the microwave! The shape of these pads are really nice to uniquely fit your breasts comfortably.
The carrying pouch is cute for your nursing supplies and the bra clip helps you remember which side you nursed on and what side to nurse from next! This whole kit is an awesome gift for a new mom or at a baby shower.
Next, we received the new Natural Drinking Cup for toddlers. I’ve never seen a cup like this before and I love the idea. It’s an awesome transition cup… your toddler wants to be a big kid and drink out of a real cup, right? But they haven’t quite mastered the skill and we end up with a lot of spills. This cup has no spout, it’s not a “sippy.” It looks like a regular cup and your toddler gets to hold it and drink out of it like a regular cup. AND? No spills! WIN-WIN.
Okay, how does it work? That plate looking piece you see at the top of the cup is a lip-activated spill-proof valve. No liquids escape the cup until you hold it to your mouth to drink and your upper lip pushes against it, opening the valve, and allowing you to drink.
Ryan got so excited to use this–he’s too cute, he loves new kitchen utensils, haha. At first, he couldn’t figure out how to work it. He put it to his mouth to drink and nothing came out. He looked at me with confusion. I explained that he had to make sure his lip was pushing in on the cup. He tried again and it worked fine! He was satisfied and happy to have figured out his new cup
It can leak a little bit, just because some liquid can get around the rim while drinking before the valve closes again. It’s for ages ~12 months and up, comes with a lid, and is dishwasher safe.
You can find both of these at Amazon–the breastfeeding kit for $9.95 and the natural drinking cup (in red or green) for $10.95.
GIVEAWAY: one lucky reader will win both items reviewed here–the breastfeeding starter kit AND the natural drinking cup! Please use the form below to enter–none of the entry options are mandatory so you can do as many or as few as you’d like! Good luck!
Click Here to Go!
By Emily @ Baby Dickey, on April 28th, 2012%
Time for the April review/giveaway from Green Sprouts! This time, we’re focusing on their line of grooming products. They have some great natural/organic items to choose from including baby mitts, lip balm, toothbrush, and more.
For our review, we were sent the wooden brush and comb set and the organic diaper balm.
 I love this set. We’ve never really had a nice brush or comb for Ryan… well, he was bald his first year old life, haha. But now he has plenty and Rebecca does, too. Rebecca also has a dry scalp and this brush is perfect for that. It’s super soft and gentle.
The comb is great for Ryan and the size of it lets him use it on his own really easily. He loves to brush his hair like mommy after shower or bath time
So… diaper balm… this one comes in a stick. Which, now that I have it, just seems SO OBVIOUS. And I can’t believe we’ve never owned diaper balm/cream in stick form before. It has always been in a tub or in a tube. And we all know what that means–using your hands and getting your fingers dirty… dirty with the cream and dirty on your child’s bottom, haha.
 That is why I love love love this stuff. It’s sooo easy to apply, makes no mess, and your hands stay clean. It’s also organic and safe for your child’s skin. It’s made to protect and soothe dry, chapped, and rashy skin. Safe to use from birth! Ryan even requests this stuff during diaper changes and sometimes tries to put it on himself, haha.
You can get the wooden brush and comb set for $8 and the diaper balm for $9.
GIVEAWAY: one lucky reader will win both products reviewed here–a wooden brush & comb set AND organic diaper balm! Please use the form below to enter–none of the entry options are mandatory so you can do as many or as few as you’d like  Good luck!
Click Here to Go!
By Emily @ Baby Dickey, on April 28th, 2012%
For our review, we recently received an activity mat from Taggies. I didn’t know what “tags” were until after Ryan was born. A mom noticed how much her kid’s loved to feel and play with smooth, satiny loops (“tags”) and has turned that idea into a must-have for children everywhere. They’re colorful, they’re soft, and different . . . → Read More: Taggies Bugs and Hugs Playgym
By Emily @ Baby Dickey, on April 26th, 2012%
Comotomo is a new and different approach to baby bottles. Its unique shape, texture, and material are designed to mimic breastfeeding. With baby #2 on the way, I was looking for some new bottles to try to make sure a transition from breast to bottle went as smoothly as possible. I’ll be going back to work in the fall and will need to pump breastmilk for her.
The Comotomo bottles are soft and flexible–I love them and so does Rebecca! But my favorite part is the shape. These bottles are wide, which makes for super easy cleaning. I hate hate hate cleaning bottles because they’re so narrow and you have to have a brush and make quite an effort to reach the bottom. But the wideness of Comotomo means you don’t need a brush at all–easy!
Other perks: these bottles are non-toxic (BPA- and pthalate-free), they’re totally durable and made of silicone so they won’t scratch or break like glass might, and they don’t leak.
The nipples have a venting system to allow for air flow and to reduce colic. The nipples also come in variety of flow speeds based on your needs and the age of your baby.
You can get these cute little bottles in size 5oz or 8oz and in green or pink on Amazon. And no worries, they’re heat-resistant so they’re safe in the microwave, dishwasher, and in boiling water.
Negatives: not many. The texture and material of the bottles makes it hard to see inside the bottle (level of milk) and the ounce markings on the side. Minor issues, in my opinion, but worth pointing out. After using the bottles often enough, you get an idea for how much is in there without having to inspect the ounce markings…
Overall, LOVE this bottle for the feel of it and likeness to the breast for breastfed babies.
GIVEAWAY: one lucky reader will win the Comotomo double pack in pink and green (the picture above)! Please use the form below to enter–none of the entry options are mandatory (meaning you can do as many or as few as you’d like). Good luck!
Click Here to Go!
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