Stuff Parents Need

Easing the chaos in the nest, one find at a time.

Daily Flash Sale Site: BuyBabyDeals.com (Giveaway!)

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It wasn’t all that long ago that places like Groupon, Zulily, and even Amazon weren’t even in existence. And honestly? I don’t even know how I’d shop without those places, anymore. They make regular appearances on my credit card statement, and I’m fine with that, because shopping online saves me time, and shopping with those fun daily deal sites saves me money.

Today I’m featuring a new daily deal site that is perfect for parents of young children. It’s called BuyBabyDeals.com and it features amazing deals (up to 80% off!) that would be of interest to moms and to little ones from newborn up to age 10.

How it Works

Every day starting at 7 am (PST) one amazing deal is launched and is live until it is sold out, or until the following deal launches the next day. Additionally, Buy Baby Deals offers secret subscriber 2 hour flash sales for anyone who subscribes to their newsletter ( sign up on the homepage!)

Examples of BuyBabyDeals.com Items

buybabydeals.com 1

BuyBabyDeals.com sent us a few products that they recently featured and that they thought our two girls would enjoy. I was very pleased to see Piggy Paint in our package, as we LOVE this eco-friendly nail polish brand. The color is In the Flesh and makes for an understated but sweet look. After painting the girls’ toes with it, I want to do my own. It’s a great color!

buybabydeals.com 2

We were also sent some adorable hair clippies. These are just perfect for Layah, whose hair is always in her face, but she pulls bows out of her hair with ease. These are a bit tougher to pull out. Hooray!

buybabydeals.com 4

For their lunch boxes, we were sent a Bumkins reusable bag. Perfect for a PB&J. Hold the plastic, please! 🙂

buybabydeals.com 3

Perhaps my favorite item in the package was the Park It! sticker. I have already taught Darah to place her hand on the gas tank square on the side of the car any time she is exits the car or is waiting to be put in the car. It is on her side of the car, so that works out nicely. This sticker (it’s a magnet, actually) gives children a great visual for where to place their hands while they are waiting for their grown ups. It keeps them focused on staying put and not wandering away in busy parking lots. I’m going to place this on Layah’s side of the car to start training her immediately!

And one final example of the cute things you might find on BuyBabyDeals.com is some adorable jewelry. We were sent this Strawberry Shortcake necklace.

buybabydeals.com 5

The website does, of course, have items that might be of interest to the little dudes out there, too, so don’t feel discouraged if you have a little boy and love great deals. BuyBabyDeals.com is right for you, too! I very highly recommend that you subscribe to their site so that you are the first to know about their hot new deals, and so that you get to take advantage of the subscriber-only flash sales!

What I love about BuyBabyDeals.com is that they provide a great way to get introduced to some really cool brands that you may not have heard of before, but that you will love and at a price that you will REALLY love! I’m so thankful for the introduction, and I’m happy to help spread the word. Get yourself subscribed, stat!

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader will win the exact same package I received, with all of the above products! This has a retail value of $50!

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Be sure to enter my other current giveaways, found on the sidebar of my page.

 

Silikids in My Kitchen (Giveaway!!!)

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by Alanna Peters

I received complimentary product to test and review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I’ve known for a long time that plastic contains toxins so I always try to avoid plastic products with BPA. Because of this I’ve been slowly replacing all plastics in our kitchen with glass, wood, or metal. I’ve also been aware of silicone for a long time (thank you, Sir Mix-a-Lot!) but I never really knew anything about it. Now, thanks to Silikids, silicone has a place in my kitchen!

So, what IS silicone?

First on my list, silicone is BPA-free! It’s also free of PVC and  other toxic chemicals. It has no pores so it does not harbor bacteria or fungus. It can be boiled for sterilization, and it does not fade or scratch. Silicone is hypo allergenic. Silicone doesn’t decompose, but you can recycle it at specialty recycling facilities. (And if you can’t find one, send it to Silikids and they’ll take care of it for you!)

What is Silikids?

Silikids is a company that designs and manufactures silicone products for children. They aim to make glassware kid-friendly! It was founded by Giuliana Schwab and Stacey Feeley who wanted to create safe, functional, easy-to-clean products for children.

SKLOGO2013

I was sent a Siliskin Top and Siliskin Glasses to try. My 4-yr-old is extremely messy and I was excited to try the Siliskin Top for those times when we dine out at restaurants. The silicone top is made to stretch and fit over regular glasses, turning them into a temporary sippy-cup. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to find ANY conventional glasses that the top would fit! Every time we dined out we were given a cup with a very wide mouth. This image shows the closest I got. 🙁 The Siliskin Tops do fit with the Siliskin Glasses though, so we will be using that combo with my youngest daughter once she is ready for a sippy cup!

Silikids Top.jpg

But, the Siliskin Glasses are awesome! I love the fun design of the silicone sleeve and I want to get them in every color. My daughter has gotten to be really good with drinking from a glass without a lid. The 6-oz glasses are the perfect size for her and the silicone sleeve makes the glass not only hard to damage, but also easy to grip! They are fashionable and functional and I love having them in my kitchen. I can tell that they are going to last us a long time. (I should also mention that they are dishwasher-friendly and super easy to clean. Yay! The sleeve is removable but it’s not necessary to remove them for everyday washing.)

SilikidsGlass Collage.jpg

Silkikids also offers sippy cups, map placemats, bowls, spoons, and bibs. Their products are very well-made and very nicely designed. (And design is a big deal to me, which you know if you’ve been reading for a while! Even their packaging is very pretty, in my opinion.) If you have a little one at home and are striving to maintain a clean, stylish eating environment, you’ll want to check out Silikids!

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If you are interested in buying any of the Silikids products, check out their website for links on where to buy. Or, try your luck and enter to WIN a set of Silikids Glasses! They come two in a package and are valued at $12.95 a set. For more information and visuals on how the product works check out their YouTube video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3YCIoEfqrms

You can also follow Silikids online:

Facebook
Twitter

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So Cute It Hurts! Shockingly Affordable Kids Clothing from Shrimp & Grits Kids (Giveaway!!!)

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Thanks to Shrimp & Grits Kids for providing review and giveaway products! All thoughts and opinions are my own, as always. 

I love the story of the founding of Shrimp & Grits Kids, a clothing company based out of South Carolina. After Megan Hewitt had her first child, she wanted to do what any Southern mama would do…fill the closets with smocked, embroidered, monogrammed, and all-around adorable clothing.

But guess what? That stuff is CRAZY expensive!!! My own mother has come home from garage sales before, beaming with pride at the smocked dresses she picked up there, still paying $15-$20 (for used clothing!). Megan decided to learn how to make these beautiful creations herself to bring the costs down. Only, i turns out that smocking, embroidering and monogramming all require expensive equipment, LOTS of time, and enough materials to make the final creations cost pretty much the same as what you are charged in a store.

What to do??? Well, this savvy lady searched high and low and finally found a manufacturer that could create the designs she was seeking, and by cutting out the middle man, she could save quite a bit of money. And so, Shrimp & Grits Kids was born!

shrimp and grits clothing 4

Inspired by the South Carolina coast and culture, Megan’s designs are too cute for words (well, almost…I’m a blogger, so I always have SOMETHING to say!). While my personal taste in clothing for my kids leans not quite as preppy as most of her collection, I was instantly in love with the Serendipity line. This is pretty much exactly how I’d love to dress my kids, and the style reminds me a lot of the looks I see in the boutiques here in town (the only thing missing was the boutique price tags!).

shrimp and grits clothing 3

Darah is wearing the Clementine top, which is currently on sale for just $20.77! I’d buy it again if we didn’t already own it!! This is one of her very favorite tops, and it is pretty much getting worn as soon as it finishes drying after being washed. It is going to be a summer staple, for sure.

shrimp and grits clothing 1

It’s a little big in the back, but Darah is quite petite, and the tie in the back makes the size no problem. You can just cinch it!

shrimp and grits clothing 2

Layah is wearing the Cora top. I just adore the colors in this one! And when the girls wear them on the same day, I DIE. Cause of death: heart melted. This one is also just $20.77 right now. Jump on it!

In fact THE ENTIRE STORE IS 33% OFF RIGHT NOW!!! If you are drawn to the Serendipity collection, or if your style is a bit more traditional, have a look around. You are going to be thrilled with what you see and with the prices, especially during the sale! I mean, just look at the cuteness!

whale dress

And I should mention that they do have clothes for boys; you’ll have to forgive me for not featuring them…it’s all girl, all the time around here!

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need is going to win the top of your choice from Shrimp & Grits Kids!
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Be sure to enter my other current giveaways, found on the sidebar of my page.

 

 

The cutest little wetsuit you’ll ever see! A Konfidence Babywarma review.

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by Alanna Peters

A complimentary Konfidence Babywarma was provided for this post (thank you!) but as always, all thoughts and opinions are my own!

Summer is definitely on the way and, for those of us who live in certain areas of the country, it is getting HOT! (A little TOO hot for us in San Diego. 🙁 These fires are scary!) One of the best ways to stay cool in hot weather is at the pool or at the beach. My oldest daughter has gotten to be quite a fish after a couple years of swim lessons and I’m excited to start my little one in the water soon too! We are at swim lessons almost every week of the year and LOVE it.

Our swim lesson pool is heated to a balmy bath tub temperature, which litle baby loves. However, the outdoor pool we played in yesterday was a bit on the cool side. It felt great to the kids and adults in our 95-degree weather but my baby wasn’t digging it!  I figured it would be the perfect time to test out our new Babywarma wetsuit from Konfidence to help keep her a little warmer while in the water.

 

Konfidence is a European company that designs premium protective swim gear for babies, infants and children. They also have sun protective clothing, wetsuits, and more for children up to 14 years. They’ve won numerous awards for their products and are now available in the US! Konfidence USA logo

 

We were sent a Konfidence Babywarma to try. The Strawberry design we received is adorable! I love that it’s cute and sweet but not too girly. I can only handle so much pink and purple! (My oldest daughter would strongly disagree with me on that one.) I was very impressed with the quality of the Babywarma. The material is a soft but sturdy neoprene wetsuit material and is very well-made. I especially love that every opening on the suit has a Velcro closure so there is no part of the suit that ever has to go over baby’s head. I just put her inside like an envelope and sealed her up! The closures also make it easily adjustable for different lengths and widths. (We received the 0-6 month size Babywarma which fit my 3-month-old perfectly.) She only seemed OKAY with the suit on, but I couldn’t tell if it was the wetsuit or the cool water that she was unsure of! We did have a good time floating around after a while. (And yes, her tongue is ALWAYS sticking out of her mouth.)

Babywarma Collage.jpg

The Babywarma Swimsuit is designed to keep baby warm in the water. It is soft and snug and secure and provides 100% sun protection for covered areas. It also makes baby easy to hold onto in the water! The Velcro tabs allow the suit to be opened completely flat for quick drying and the bottom flap allows for easy diaper changes. The Babywarma comes in sizes 0-6, 6-12 and 12-24 months, and is available in Blue Polka Dot, Strawberry, Clownfish, Fuschia and Nautical Blue. Babywarma Designs.jpg
Want to find out more about Konfidence? You can follow them online at the following links:

www.konfidence-usa.com
Facebook
Twitter
They also have a fun video on YouTube!

Konfidence products are now available at buybuy BABY stores and online at  buybuybaby.com. The Babywarma retails for $29.99, which I think is a fair price for a great product! Or, you can enter for a chance to WIN a Babywarma Wetsuit!

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Fun (And CHEAP!) Gift Idea for Teens and Young Adults

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Affiliate links included. I only promote what I love, as always! 

Last week I was painting my toes and I realized that I had more nail polish than I could possibly use up before it was going to go bad. So this got me thinking about what I could do with some of my nail polish in addition to painting my nails. I realized that very small painting projects were a possibility, and that led me to dig some binder clips out of my office drawer. I thought they could use a little makeover for Spring!

uses for old nail polish painted binder clips

I pulled 3 of my Julep colors because they are pretty and remind me of this time of year. Julep is a fun nail polish subscription service, and they are offering a FREE box to new subscribers, so if you want to take this project from cheap to totally free, you need to jump on this! 🙂

Julep Maven Subscription - first box free

Anywho, back to my fun project! Here are the supplies I gathered: nail polishes that needed to be used, binder clips, and pencils to hold the binder clips in place while being painted and while drying.

All you need to do is paint the outsides of your binder clips (I recommend two coats) and leave them on the pencil to dry. I gave each coat 10 minutes to dry.

uses for old nail polish binder clips finished

I think these would be adorable in a teenager’s Easter basket, or as part of a graduation gift for someone heading off to college this fall. I even like them for my office; gives my (boring) paperwork a bit of a pick-me-up!

More About The Free Nail Polish

Here’s a tip for you about the free nail polish offer from Julep: shipping at Julep is free with a $50 purchase. The free box has a value of $40, so if you add $10 in product to your free box order, you’ll get the 3 nail polishes and $10 worth of other great products for just $10 total! Basically it’s like getting that extra $10 of stuff at 50% off, because otherwise you’ll have to pay $5 in shipping. I’m looking out for you, ladies. 😉 Don’t forget to add code FREEBOX to take $40 off the bill, too!

Do you have any clever uses for nail polish besides making your nails lovely? I’d love to hear about it!

Madison Reed Hair Color Giveaway!

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Affiliate links included. I only promote what I love! 

Happy Monday, friends!

Anyone else out there feeling the almost tax day blues? We are finishing up our taxes this afternoon and I am NOT looking forward to sending off the check. Some of you may be feeling similarly, so let’s do something fun to get our minds off it, ‘k?

How about a Madison Reed Giveaway?!?!

Remember Madison Reed? That are that fantastic at-home hair color company that offers beautiful shades, custom color advice, and none of those harmful chemicals (like ammonia) that you typically find in hair dye. Here’s my Madison Reed review if you’d like to take a closer look!

madison reed giveaway

While your bank account might be crying from the tax bill it just paid, at least your hair can look fabulous (and it WILL look fabulous!).

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need winner will received a Color Kit and a full size shampoo and conditioner set from Madison Reed!

Be sure to enter my other current giveaways, found on the sidebar of my page.

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Hit the Beach with a Metal Detector for Kids (Giveaway!)

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I always wanted a metal detector as a kid. When we would take family trips to the beach, I’d do some digging for buried treasures on my own, but became quickly discouraged at the sight of those old men with metal detectors.

They probably beat me to all those lost diamond rings and really old coins that I just knew were a few feet under the sand. RUDE.

So when Learning Resources informed me that they could help today’s little ones best those old gold diggers with their new metal detector for kids, I was all over it!

metal detector for kids

We took it with us when we visited the beach for the first time, and while we didn’t find any treasures, it was still a major hit. I may or may not have had a wee bit of trouble sharing it at first, but now I am totally comfortable letting the kids run around in our yard with it. As long as I get my turn, too.

What? This is totally normal, you guys. TREASURE MAY BE LURKING!!!!

metal detector

My kids love this great outdoor toy. And yes, it really does function as a metal detector. It requires batteries to run, and it lights up and makes noise whenever it gets near metal. Pretty awesome!

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader will win a Learning Resources metal detector for themselves their children.

Be sure to enter my other current giveaways, found on the sidebar of my page.
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How to Make Clouds with Soap (Giveaway!)

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Review and giveaway copies provided. All thoughts and opinions are my own, as always. 

I’ve got a REALLY fun and RIDICULOUSLY easy science experiment for you to do with your kiddos after school today. I’m going to show you how to make soap clouds. I found this super cool trick inside Dad’s Book of Awesome Science Experiments, a truly great book with 30 experiments that will be fun for the whole family, and that will help you teach your kids science concepts.

Let’s get started!

soap clouds supplies

This is really all you need! I would suggest using a dinner plate instead of a salad plate, though. The soap cloud gets REALLY big! And there’s simply no substitution for the Ivory soap. The book explains why it has to be this particular brand, but just trust that it must be Ivory! 🙂

unwrapping ivory soap for soap clouds Get your child involved by having them unwrap the soap and place it on a paper towel-lined plate, and setting the microwave for no more than 2 minutes (1:30 was enough for us).

Then watch this happen!

soap clouds how to make

Tim and I were every bit as excited as Darah as we watched the bar of Ivory soap turn into beautiful, fluffy cloud-like shapes. It was awesome! And for the frugal folks out there, don’t you worry…you can totally still use this as soap…it just looks a little different and probably needs a plastic bag to hold all its contents. Or you can just plop it into the bath and let the kids have a whole lot of fun and get majorly clean. I think it is worth every penny of the .75 that the bar costs. 🙂

soap clouds finished product

As for the science behind the experiment, I’m going to leave that secret in the book so you can read for yourself. This is just one of dozens of fantastic science experiments you can do with your kids at home. We are enjoying Dad’s Book of Awesome Science Experiments and definitely recommend it, especially for the price (currently $13.74 or just $9.99 on Kindle!).

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader will win a copy of Dad’s Book of Awesome Science Experiments!

Be sure to enter my other current giveaways, found on the sidebar of the page.

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Pillow Pets Now Have Matching (Tooth)Brush Pets (Giveaway!)

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Today I want to show you two products that we are happily using as part of our bedtime routine. And it’s been a while since I’ve done a video, so I thought it would be fun to actually talk instead of write while I showcase Pillow Pets Glow Pets and Pillow Pets Brush Pets! Check them out!


Do you have a pillow pet at your home? It seems that most families with young kids do! 🙂

glow pets from pillow pets

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader will win a year’s supply of Brush Pets (4 total)!

Be sure to enter my other current giveaways, found on the sidebar of my page.

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