Stuff Parents Need

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

Introducing Alanna – New Blog Reviews Coming!

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Hi everyone! I wanted to officially introduce myself to you all. My name is Alanna, and I am the blog assistant here at Stuff Parents Need. I’ve been around for quite a while now but I’ve been mostly working behind the scenes. You’ll be seeing a bit more of me now though, so I wanted to let you know just a little more about me.

I have an awesome 3 year old daughter, and I am currently 14 weeks pregnant with my second child. Yay! Tiffany has asked me to do some reviews of maternity and newborn products to share with all of you. I know there are many of you out there who are also expecting or have brand new babies at home, so I hope that many of you will be excited to see some posts geared specifically toward you. Be looking for some fun reviews and giveaways for new mamas in the next several months!

 

Affordable, Fashion-Forward Maternity Wear: Kiki’s Fashions Review and GIVEAWAY!!!

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Welcome to Maternity Monday, where I highlight products and services for the expecting mom and family.

Today I want to talk about maternity clothes. My thought on them is that I don’t want to spend a lot of money on something that will only be worn for a few seasons (if you don’t outgrow them before the end of the pregnancy!). But since I don’t want to spend a lot of money, I also find that my maternity wardrobe tends to be quite sparse, especially as compared with my typical wardrobe. So, I learned the hard way last time around that even though I am budget-conscious about my clothing, I need to balance that with being fashion-conscious. If you have to wear something constantly, it had better be cute! With my first pregnancy, it was price alone that drove my purchase decisions, and as a result, I had clothes that I genuinely wanted to burn by the time I was 9 months pregnant. They were ugly, falling apart and I had no choice but to keep on wearing them.

This time around, I’m taking a more balanced approach. Inexpensive is very good, but if it is cheap and not cute, then it’s a waste of money, no matter how little it costs! Fortunately, thanks to other fabulous bloggers, I have learned about a wonderful online shop called Kiki’s Fashions. This is a store that offers very trendy maternity clothes, and the price tags are very much in line with what you would find at places like Old Navy or Target. Woo hoo!

I had the opportunity to try a long-sleeve maternity top from their fall line and it is, without question, my very favorite top to wear. I love that it has stripes on the top, which are so hot this fall, but that the stripes draw your attention away from the bump and the lower part of the shirt is in a slimming black. Yes, I know, there will come a point in the pregnancy where all the black in the world won’t help, but for now, I really appreciate having my bump not emphasized. The top is also very comfy to wear, and I’ve found it to be a piece that I can dress up with jewelry and black pants, or dress down with a pair of jeans. Basically, it’s perfect! The price tag is also perfect, at $22.99. That’s FANTASTIC!

Kiki’s Fashions is currently offering 25% off store-wide for all orders over $75. That makes it a great time to get stocked up on super cute cheap maternity clothes! I’m thinking about ordering this maternity coat. It’s super cute and only $35.99!

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader will win a $25 gift certificate to Kiki’s Fashions so that you can pick out the perfect pregnancy look for yourself or an expecting friend!

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Maternity Week: Sleeping (A LOT) In Comfort! Hanes Review and GIVEAWAY!!

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For the first trimester of my pregnancy, I turn into a bear in the winter. That’s right, I HIBERNATE. I easily sleep 12 hours each and every day that it is possible for me to do so. I’m extremely lucky that this is even possible for me to do. It certainly comes at a price (my house is constantly dirty…and I don’t mean slightly messy…I mean DIRTY). But I am SO tired that sleeping wins every single time I can possibly choose it.

Since I’m doing a lot of sleeping, I need to be as comfortable as possible. As those of you who have been through pregnancy before know, your body goes through some pretty rapid changes, even in the first trimester. You experience quite a bit of growth (in your belly if you are like me and start showing 7 minutes after discovering you are pregnant). But even if you are lucky and don’t show for a while, your breasts almost certainly will start to grow. And they will be sore and sensitive, which means that you don’t want to wear your traditional bras any longer than you absolutely have to.

I’ve been spending a lot of my time in the perfect option from Hanes. Check out their ComfortFlex Fit Bras. These offer light support (so for me, they aren’t for wearing outside of the house), no wire, and they are SUPER soft. I wear these when I’m in the house, and also I wear them to sleep, as they provide some extra needed support while I toss and turn. They are also value priced, at $12 each or 2 for $20 (go ahead and buy 2, you will wear these constantly). While they aren’t designed specifically for expecting moms, I can tell you that they are the perfect choice for us, and I highly recommend them.

The other area where I need some extra comfort while sleeping has to do with my feet. Women are known for having poor circulation in our feet, which causes our toes to be freezing cold. I feel as though the problem for me has been multiplied since being pregnant. I’m not usually one to sleep with socks on EVER, but I’ve had a change of heart in recent weeks because my feet were so cold that I couldn’t fall asleep. So, I reached for my new Hanes socks that are made with a Comfort Toe Seam (all Hanes socks are made this way!). They are designed to feel smooth all day long to the wearer, and not to bunch up and be irritating. I put them on and drift off to sleep since my toes are snuggly warm! Love them!

Comfort is king when you are expecting. You are already going to be fairly uncomfortable during your pregnancy (at least that’s my experience), so anything you can do to get a little more comfortable is a good thing, indeed. Hanes is a company to turn to for some relief, and their prices can’t be beat!

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader is going to win a comfort flex bra and a 6 pack of women’s socks from Hanes! Yay!

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Ethical Fashion for the Expecting Mom: Miravos Maternity and Nursing Wear

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Announcing my first Planet Earth is My Valentine giveaway! I was recently contacted by Miravos, an eco-friendly clothing line (made in the U.S.A.!) that offers ethical fashion in the form of swanky clothing for pregnant and nursing mothers. I know….”swanky” doesn’t usually describe these types of clothing! Take a look, though, and you’ll see that they are offering some really cute pieces! Check out this fabulous Chelsea Top in a stunning shade of purple, or the sexy-chic Hudson dress, which actually looks good on the expecting mom, too!

All of the clothes from Miravos are made from bamboo, which is gentle on the environment, and which has natural anti-bacterial properties in its fibers. Bamboo is also a really soft fiber, which makes it very comfortable to wear!

Buy It!
If you are currently pregnant and looking for an “investment piece” that will carry you through your nursing months, consider what Miravos has to offer! If you are already nursing and are sick of your terribly ugly nursing tops (and we all have them) then treat yourself to something fabulous today!

EDIT: This giveaway is closed. Congratulations #37!

ethical fashion nursing top Win It!
Miravos would like to offer one uber-lucky Stuff Parents Need expecting or nursing mom a Chrystie 3/4 sleeve shirt! This is a top that will go from the playground to the office with ease. I wish I could enter my own contests! 🙂 The contest will run until February 14th at 7:59pm CST. A winner will be randomly selected and emailed, and will have 48 hours to claim their prize. Open to residents of the United States.

How to Enter:
Mandatory entry: Go check out Miravos. Come back here and tell me your very favorite ethical fashion piece that they sell.

Additional Entries:
1. Subscribe to my blog via email or RSS. Leave a comment with your email address for the subscription (2 entries, so leave 2 comments)
2. Make a purchase at Miravos (5 entries, so leave 5 comments)
3. Enter any other “Planet Earth is My Valentine” giveaway and tell me you did.
4. Sign up for the Miravos newsletter (include your email address that you used to sign up)
5. Follow me on Google friend connect (2 entries, so leave 2 comments)
6. Tweet about this giveaway

Disclosure: I received no product for this giveaway, nor did I receive any compensation.