Stuff Parents Need - Easing the chaos in the nest, one find at a time.

Taking it Easy at the Beach: Our Tentative Gulf County, Florida Trip Plans

March 30, 2015 · by Tiffany Merritt · Leave a Comment

This post brought to you by Visit Gulf County. The content and opinions expressed below are that of Stuff Parents Need.

Today I’ve been doing something really fun: working on summer vacation plans. We have had such a rough past month with the unexpected loss of my husband’s dad, and I feel such a strong need for our family to have some quality time together to heal, to relax and to rejuvenate.

Vacations with young children can be a bit of a misnomer, at least for the parents. When’s the last time you took a vacation with young kids and really and truly got to relax? I hope you have had that experience, but likely not unless you had additional adults on hand to share the child supervision duties.

But what if your vacation could look different? What if your destination was so inviting and intriguing that every member of your family could feel free to explore and marvel and simply BE right there in the moment? Friends, that’s what I’m looking for this summer. And I think I’ve found it in Gulf County, Florida.

I’ve been checking out the Gulf County Adventure Guide which is actually a series of brief recommendation posts written by different locals. You get an insider’s perspective on some of the best things to see and do in the area. And I have to say, I LOVE that not a single recommendation has to do with visiting a theme park or creating an itinerary that keeps you running from sun up to sun down. Everything in this guide is focused on the great outdoors and the unique beauty of this particular part of the country.

For starters, I’m very drawn to the plethora of housing options through Pristine Property Rentals. It’s my preference to stay in a condo or a home than to stay in a hotel room. Having the extra space to stretch out, and the kitchen available so that we can prepare food when we want and how we want it is worth the extra expense. And frankly, I often find that the extra expense is surprisingly nominal, especially for vacations that last several days to a week. I am significantly more relaxed in this type of environment than I am in a hotel room, where I often find myself relegated to the bathroom floor if I want to stay up past 7:30 pm when the girls go to bed. Pristine Property Rentals manages over 250 properties of all sizes so I’m sure we’ll find something just right for us and our budget.

For the big “splurge” event, I’d go with a 4 hour boat tour of the area from About Fun Charters. It’s $350 for 4 hours, just $100 more than the 2 hour charter. And my family will be the only ones on the boat, just enjoying the gorgeous views and taking in all sorts of sights. It sounds like the area has an amazing array of wildlife and that you can see quite a bit of it from a boat as you cruise around the bay and the island. It sounds absolutely heavenly!

photo credit: Stormy Skies via photopin (license)

And speaking of wildlife, one of the places I predict my family will spend quite a bit of time at is St. Joseph Peninsula State Park. Get this: this state park is the home of America’s #1 beach. Oh heck yes we’ll be going to that! It’s also home to some incredible trails that almost guarantee you’ll see some great wildlife. There’s a playground on site and of course, those beautiful Florida sand dunes. This sounds like an area where my family can just get out and get lost together for a while. What a gift that would be for my family to be in that environment. It’s a completely different vibe from a Disney vacation (which we did last fall and we loved!) but it is exactly the type of experience we so badly need: nature, connection and no distractions.

Win it!:

Right now there’s a great contest going on to encourage you to have an adventure of your own in your local town. Ten winners will score a $50 gift card each and every week from now until April 13th, 2015! You definitely want to take a second to get yourself entered! Nothing to lose and maybe a heck of a lot to gain! Be sure to share the contest with your friends so that they can have a chance to win, too!

The Power and Purpose of Getting it Wrong: What GoldieBlox Teaches

March 30, 2015 · by Tiffany Merritt · 21 Comments

Special thanks to GoldieBlox and The Motherhood for partnering with me for this post. All thoughts, opinions, and amazing daughters featured here are my own.

This past Christmas Darah got her first set of GoldieBlox (specifically, she got the awesome dunk tank set). I had been on pins and needles waiting for her to be old enough to get her first set since the day I saw the Kickstarter campaign for Goldie Blox that blew up in just 4 days back in 2012. Debbie Sterling, the inventor behind the company,noticed that she was very unusual in her field (engineering) simply because she was a woman. That prompted her to start thinking about what might need to change so that little girls want to grow up to be so much more than a princess. Why not add engineer to the list of dream jobs for little girls? And so, GoldieBlox was born. These building kits integrate story telling and the building process to create adventures and very, very cool contraptions that little hands and little imaginations can create.

We recently received the Builder’s Survival Kit from GoldieBlox, and one of my very favorite things about this kit is the fact that it comes with a diary of inventions. You get several different ideas and building plans to work on, and the survival kit comes with a really nice array of building materials so that all of the ideas in the diary can be built, one at a time.

The ideal age range for GoldieBlox is 7-12. My oldest is 5 1/2 so she skews a bit young for the product when it comes to working on her own. I can tell you that Layah, who is almost 3, didn’t get the memo that she was too young to start building. While we were getting the materials out of the survival kit she was very busily starting to build. I actually didn’t notice what she was doing until we got all of the pieces out and I looked up and saw this going on:

Obviously you want to supervise young children carefully around this product as there are many small parts. But if you have a little tinkerer on your hands, don’t stand in her way! Give her the tools she needs and let that child create! She was SO proud of her work and after making her own design, she was Darah’s helpful assistant as we searched for the parts we needed to build an ice cream truck.

Every part in the GoldieBlox Survival Kit was listed with its proper name, and every step was demonstrated through pictures and writing. And I’m going to tell it like it is: this was a challenging project! I felt myself coming face to face with something that has been ingrained in my mind: I don’t build stuff. I felt really disappointed in myself for struggling with the project, but I also realized that this was the perfect opportunity for me to show Darah and Layah one of the key messages of GoldieBlox: it’s perfectly fine to fail. But don’t let getting it wrong keep you from trying again!

Our children are watching us, and if they see us declare that we simply aren’t good at something, they are all the more likely to make the same declarations. So we buckled down and kept going and by not giving up, we made some progress!

We did take a break after a while and then revisited our project the following day. We got back into it and kept working with the directions until we finished the project. Check out this awesome creation!

I think one of my favorite moments during the entire process was at the end when Darah showed me how the ice cream cone on the top of the truck rotated. She turned the van over and pointed to the axles and explained how they were connected to one of the back wheels and how that wheel turning caused the ice cream cone to rotate. My child UNDERSTOOD how the van worked. I could not have been more proud or more impressed!

If you want to learn more about GoldieBlox and how to encourage innovation and perseverance in our girls, be sure to follow them on Facebook! And if you want to feel ALL THE FEELINGS right now, well, here you go!

Buy it!: I’ve got a 20% off discount code for any GoldieBlox purchase you make between now and April 5th. Use code Spring2015-9tfe8s4c at checkout to snag the discount!

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader is going to win a Goldie Action Figure and Builder’s Survival Kit! Yippeeee!!!! And as a friendly reminder, I can’t require you to like my Facebook page or the brand’s FB page, but your likes are SO appreciated and help us both to be able to keep offering up kick butt giveaways like this one! 🙂

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Be sure to enter the other current giveaways on my site, found on the right side of the blog.

Spring Shopping Haul at Burlington (A Whole Lot for a Little!)

March 29, 2015 · by Tiffany Merritt · Leave a Comment

Is the weather FINALLY changing in your neck of the woods, friends? We had a few days last week where the temperatures were in the 70s. It was AWESOME!!! Though, of course, it made getting dressed a bit challenging as my entire closet is full of long-sleeve tops made of thick material. Time to pull out my spring clothes from the attic and to add a few new updated pieces!

Burlington invited me to head over to their store to see just how far I could stretch $100 while still snagging some of the most current trends for the season. I’ve got to keep it real: I’m not exactly sure what the latest trends even are right now! Fortunately, I got a few hints from the store just by scanning the racks! I noticed color blocking is definitely still in, florals are huge, patterns of all sorts (and the crazier the better) are big and my favorite look, the boho look, seemed to have a commanding presence. These trends gave me a few ideas and I quickly filled my cart with fun items to try on in the store.

So without further ado, I present to you my shopping haul from Burlington! I think you’ll be shocked by just how much I got even without shopping the clearance section!

I’m still cracking up over those jeans, and still kicking myself for not paying close attention to the price and getting a second pair. I’ve never found a pair of jeans before that fit and look nice for $12.99!

This top is probably my favorite of the whole bunch. The color is so pretty and perfect for spring and summer, and I’m just gonna brag for a moment: it’s a size smaller than what I normally get, so that feels downright AWESOME! It’s so great to realize that the hard work I’ve been doing at the gym is actually causing my clothing to fit differently!

Love these shoes, too! Like I said in the video, these aren’t going to be shoes that will last me for years. They will do awesome for spring and summer and then they will likely be ready to retire. But at $10, who can complain? I also like having a neutral shoe because it will pair so well with colors and with all t hose crazy patterns that are trendy now.

And speaking of patterns, this shirt is my jam, y’all!

I feel like a teenager again in this shirt. I know I look like a middle-age mom, but it’s so nice to be able to wear something that brings me back to the good old days without me looking completely ridiculous in the process. At least I don’t think I look ridiculous. Nobody tell me if I do because I love this shirt too much to let it go…

And the girls? Well they wanted to do a little fashion show with their rompers. Don’t you just love their “poses”? They crack me up!

I’m still so shocked at what I picked up for under $100 (even including 9.25% sales tax here in Tennessee!). Three tops for me, 1 pair of jeans, 1 pair of shoes, and 2 children’s rompers. Those are some smokin’ hot deals, friends! When you head into your nearest Burlington to score some great deals, you’ll be so thrilled to find so much amazing and on-trend stuff, and all at prices up to 65% off department store prices.

WomenHeart

I also wanted to point out something super cool that Burlington does: it has a partnership with WomenHeart, a national non-profit with a mission to educate and support women living with heart disease. Customers can help Burlington’s efforts by donating $1 or more at checkout from now through March 31st. Burlington will also be donating $1 for every dress purchased throughout the campaign, up to $25,000!

Connect

You can connect with Burlington by heading to your nearest location (that’s the best way!), but you can also connect with them on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram!

Burlington Stores sponsored this blog post. The opinions and text are all mine.

My Two Favorite Cuisines Joined Forces and I Am In Panda Express Heaven!!!!

March 26, 2015 · by Tiffany Merritt · Leave a Comment

This post brought to you by Panda Express. The content and opinions expressed below are that of Stuff Parents Need.

As someone who spent 10 years of her life in Memphis, Tennessee, home of the best barbecue on the planet (#sorrynotsorry North Carolina, Texas and Kansas City), I consider myself to be a bit of a barbecue snob. When I find a good barbecue joint, I become very loyal to that location (I have found one and only one barbecue establishment that’s up to snuff here in Chattanooga, so far).

I also am extremely partial to Chinese food. It is my go-to comfort food of choice and my very favorite take out option. I would pick it over pizza any day of the week!

So what do these two things have in common? Panda Express! Everyone’s favorite quick-serve Chinese food restaurant has just launched, for a limited time only, Panda’s Chinese Spare Ribs! undefined

Panda Express may be a restaurant where you can get your food quickly, but that doesn’t mean the ribs were cooked fast. Instead, these Chinese Spare Ribs are slow cooked for 5 hours, which is exactly how you need to do it for ribs, friends. You want that meat to pretty much fall off the bones. So the cooking style sounds right to me, and the marinade sounds out-of-control AWESOME! Sesame oil, mirin, red chili bean past, garlic and red peppers all join forces to make a sweet and spicy sauce that will set those ribs free!

So obviously I am headed to Panda Express ASAP to try these ribs. You probably don’t need an excuse to get yourself to your nearest location, either, but just in case you do, think about which friend of yours has a birthday coming up. This will be the perfect birthday treat! A trip to Panda Express for the Chinese Spare Ribs could also be in order for Father’s Day or upcoming graduations. You can even place your Order Online if you want to be super efficient or pick up an amazing meal to go.

I can’t wait to try out this crazy awesome marriage between my two favorite types of cuisine. I’ll be letting you know exactly what I think. Bring your A game, Panda Express. I’m certainly bringing mine! And also perhaps a bib…

If you want to learn more about Panda Express dishes, visit the Panda Express Facebook, Twitter and Instagram sites! And for some yummy DIY ideas, head to the Panda Pinterest page!

A Delicious Way to Add More Protein to Your Breakfast

March 25, 2015 · by Tiffany Merritt · Leave a Comment

For years (actually, for decades) I ate cereal most every morning for breakfast. It was simply what I craved and what I enjoyed. I never wavered from it, until 2 years ago, when my husband and I did the Paleo thing for a month. Not being able to reach for a box of grains and a glass of milk for a whole month actually broke me of my cereal habit, and I found that I no longer craved it. And I think that’s a good thing.

BUT…

I was still left not knowing what to eat for breakfast! I have mostly swapped one set of carbs for another, as I now eat a bagel most mornings. And then I’m hungry an hour later. That’s because I’m not getting something that I really need to be eating first thing: PROTEIN. I have really struggled with finding protein-rich options for breakfast. That’s why I was SUPER pumped to discover this new patty from Boca Essentials.

This is the breakfast scramble, and it is considered a complete protein because it contain 9 essential amino acids, all in the correct portions. These amino acids are things that every body needs but that we, as humans, simply can’t produce on our own.

So this product is, at least in my experience, very filling and very flavorful. But I wanted to find a way to really kick it up a notch and have a breakfast that was really worth getting out of bed for, know what I mean?

So I present to you, the Caramelized Breakfast Scramble Sandwich!

While the recipe takes a little bit of effort and time, you can actually make enough of the onions and mushrooms at one time to accommodate 4 servings. Even if you are the only person in the house who wants a breakfast sandwich, you can basically cook breakfast once and have the ingredients prepped to eat it 4 times. Score!

Ingredients:

1 package Boca Essentials Breakfast Scramble patties (leave in the freezer until needed)
(1) 16 oz package mushrooms, chopped coarsely
4 small onions, thinly sliced
1 can refrigerated biscuits
olive oil
1 tsp salt
2 tsp sugar
water
Havarti cheese

To begin, preheat your oven to the temperature required for the canned biscuits. Then get a large, nonstick skillet and place it on the stove on medium-high heat. Add 1 tsp olive oil.

Once the pan is heated thoroughly, add your thinly sliced onions and cook, stirring regularly, for 5 minutes.

Now add the mushrooms, 1 tsp olive oil, 1 tsp water, 1 tsp sugar and 1 tsp of salt an cook for an additional 5 minutes, stirring regularly. While the mushrooms and onions are cooking together, put the biscuits in the oven and cook according to package directions.

After the 5 minutes of cooking, taste test the mushrooms and onions. If they don’t quite taste sweet enough, add 1 more tsp of sugar. I also found that I needed to add 1 more Tbsp of water at this point. Cook for 5 more minutes on a lower heat setting. The end result should look something like this.

Now it’s time to heat your Boca breakast scramble patty. I just popped mine in the microwave for 1 1/2 minutes and it was ready to go!

Once your biscuits are out of the oven and cooled down enough that you can touch them, slice one in half, and then add your Boca Essentials patty, followed by a heap of your caramelized onions and mushrooms. Now slice a bit of Harvarti cheese for the top.

Your oven should still be warm, so go ahead and switch it over to high broil an then stick your sandwich in (minus the top “bun”) and watch it carefully. You want your cheese to melt but not to burn!

Then top your creation with the other half of the biscuit and enjoy!

This was my breakfast yesterday morning, as well as this morning (I took my own advice a cooked a large batch of onions and mushrooms) and I have been full and happy all morning long! This is in sharp contrast to t he way I normally feel, which is starving by 9:30 am!

The Boca Essentials line hit the ball out of the part with their Breakfast Scramble patty. I hope you will give it a try sometime soon! Be on the lookout for their other two new flavors: Roasted Vegetables and Red Quinoa and Chile Relleno. Sound like some great options for a hearty lunch or dinner, too! You can find Boca Essentials at select retailers nationwide in the freezer case. The retail price for four patties is $4.29.

Let me know if you try out the recipe!

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

Home Hack: How to Change an Air Filter

March 23, 2015 · by Tiffany Merritt · 1 Comment

Complimentary subscription service provided for review purposes. All thoughts, opinions, and disgusting air filters are my own. Affiliate links may be included.

So I learned something new last week that relates to household maintenance. I knew that the main air vent for heating and cooling systems had an air filter. And I knew that it needed to be replaced. But I had absolutely NO idea that it is supposed to be replaced every 3 months. And truth be told, I never think about the darn thing, anyway, so I can’t even tell you that I remember to change my air filter annually.

This has traditionally been my husband’s domain, and he takes care of it whenever he remembers. That’s good enough for me! But as the mother of two impressionable little girls, I want to set a good example for them and show them that household maintenance tasks are not to be ignored, nor are they to be feared/solely the domain of one person. FilterSnap.com is an air filter subscription service that is helping me take some initiative and complete this important chore in a timely manner.

Take a look at a video I filmed over the weekend to see just how easy it is to replace your air filter. This is seriously a 1 minute chore!

My dear husband requested that I set the record straight about something mentioned in the video. I thought we had NEVER changed the filter in our current home, and while I have never changed it, Tim actually has, though he isn’t sure when he last changed it and can only tell me that it was somewhere between 1 and 2 years ago. But to be fair, the nastiness you saw wasn’t 3 years of accumulation. Still, we clearly aren’t good about remembering to change the filters anywhere near as often as we should. And as a household with 2 cats and with allergy sufferers, we are doing ourselves a tremendous disservice by not staying on top of this.

This is exactly why I love FilterSnap.com. I have filled out the information they need about the size filter we have (it’s easy to find out…just look on your current filter for the dimensions). I don’t have to remember what size I need from here on out…FilterSnap will take care of it. Their prices are competitive with what you will find in the stores, and a new filter will show up on your doorstep every 3 months, and that’s your cue to replace the old one!

FilterSnap offers 3 different grades of air filters so that you can choose the right one for your budget and for your particular household needs. And as for the quality, I really enjoyed reading up on the intention behind the FilterSnap designs. It seems to me that these are high quality products that will rival if not best what you will find in the stores.

So how often do you change the air filters in your home? And have you, yourself, ever attempted the chore? Can you even believe how ridiculously easy it is? Let me encourage you to take a moment to change your filter as part of your spring cleaning. And if you are like me and never think about doing it, go ahead and get signed up for FilterSnap.com so that you don’t ever have to think about it again!

The Search for Fab Kids Shoes Starts at FabKids

March 22, 2015 · by Tiffany Merritt · Leave a Comment

Shoes provided for review purposes. We are happy FabKids.com members!

There’s a rule at my girls’ school that I have always appreciated: the kids must wear slippers inside the classroom. This helps keep the floors in much better condition (which helps keep the costs down). A bonus for the parents is that it also tends to help keep the shoes that the kids wear to and from school in much better condition. So really, everybody wins!

But I just learned that the rules change in the lower elementary building. Starting in the fall, Darah will get to wear the shoes she came to school in all day long. I’m sort of bummed about this changed, but Darah is PUMPED. I guess to her, wearing your shoes all day long is oh so very BIG KID AWESOME.

All this is to say that we are likely going to be going through shoes at a faster pace, so I need to keep my eyes open for cute finds that are reasonable in price. This month, I finally got to try out the awesome shoes that FabKids.com offers. I looked through the offerings and saw quite a few different options that I knew Darah would love, but there was one pair, in particular, that had her name all over them.

I present to you, the pink leopard sneaker.

These shoes are positively gaudy. I can’t even lie about it, people. But this is EXACTLY what seems to be in style now (and I can’t really judge…I was a kid in the ’80s so whatever kids these days are wearing, it can’t possibly be any more strange than the stuff I was rockin’ back in the day…). Darah loves animal prints and she loves pink and she loves sparkles. So this is pretty much her dream shoe.

It’s also her first pair of lacing shoes. Since she’ll be headed to first grade in a handful of months, it’s time for her to start learning how to tie her shoes. Having a super cute pair to practice on will help her stay motivated. If she wants to wear these to her first grade classroom, she has to know how to tie and untie them!

She absolutely loves them, friends. They were a major hit. They are priced at $19.95 for anyone with a VIP membership to FabKids, and I think that’s a fair price to pay for something that is going to be so well received by my child. And I’m guessing I’m not the only parent out there with a kid who would rock these in a hot second if given the chance!

How to Buy These Shoes

Ok, so there is definitely a way to buy shoes the right way on FabKids. First, you need to be a VIP member. This means that you are signed up to get a special email from FabKids on the first of every month, at which point you will have 5 days to either select an outfit you’d like to purchase for $29.95 or to skip the month. There is no penalty for skipping the month, no charge if you notify them that you are skipping, and no hassle. It’s a simple button you press online and it isn’t hard to find! 🙂

So you’ll want to be in VIP so you can get a better price to start. Then when you see a pair of shoes that you really want to get, go ahead and pair it with an outfit so that you can buy enough stuff in one shot to score free shipping ($50+ gets you there). And before you check out, head over to their sale section to see if there are any great buys that you want to snag for now or even for the next size up for you kiddo. These are the strategies I use to get the very most bang for my buck on FabKids.com! AND…if you are new to the site and sign up through my referral link, you can get your first outfit for just $15 and snag free shipping…but you might want to check out the shoes, all the same, before checking out!

If you order something let me know what you get! 🙂

March Beauty Box 5 Review: 3 out of 5 Stars

March 20, 2015 · by Tiffany Merritt · 3 Comments

Complimentary box provided for review. All thoughts and opinions are my own, as always. Affiliate links included.

Yesterday my March Beauty Box 5 showed up, and I confess that I was stalking the mail man to get my hands on it. That’s a pretty good sign that I like this subscription service! If you are new to Beauty Box 5, I think this is one of the very most affordable beauty subscription boxes out there (as low as $8.75/month if you buy a year subscription!). You get a combination of full size and deluxe sample size products (always 5, total) and you also get a combination of drugstore-type brands and higher end brands. I like it because it reflects my budget and the way I shop for beauty products…I like lower prices if I can get them, but I’m not afraid to splurge if something is really worth it!

Previous Reviews

If you want to see other reviews I have done to get a sense for what the boxes are like, check ‘em out!

July’s Beauty Box 5

November’s Beauty Box 5

December’s Beauty Box 5

January’s Beauty Box 5

February’s Beauty Box 5

March Beauty Box 5

So the theme for this month was Hustle, and it was a theme that resonated with me as a “mompreneur” (I’m not so sure I like that term…can’t decide…). Anyway, I liked the idea of having some excellent skin care products as your base and a few bold beauty products with easy application to get out out the door fast and looking great.

Here’s what you’ll find in this month’s box:

And let’s break down the contents, starting with what I didn’t love.

1. Eslor Introductory Collection

If you’ve read my other reviews, this is no surprise. I never like getting skin care because I stand by my previous statements that deluxe samples of skin care products don’t last long enough for you to determine if you actually like the product. It’s just a principle matter with me. I’ll always give a thumbs down to the skincare stuff. That’s just me!

2. Elite Therapeutics Rosemary Eucalyptus Body Cream

For a body cream, I thought the sample size was a bit too small, personally. Also? The smell that they claim to be “divine” is…not so much. It is a very mild scent, but not at all pleasant. I blame this, of course, on the fact that I have fierce essential oils collection and the oils I have are unmatched in quality. I think my nose has become an essential oil snob!

3. Scandalous Thickening Mascara by Nanacoco

I was pleased to see this product because I use mascara pretty much every day. This is a drug store quality product, retailing for $4.99. And it’s not the best mascara I’ve ever tried. But certainly not the worst. I think the formula is on the thin side and the wand is lacking. I have to apply several coats for my lashes to look thicker and longer. But I do eventually get there. Don’t love it, but I like it!

4. Laugh Out Loud Lip Gloss by Nanacoco

I was surprised to see 2 products from the same brand in this box. I’d personally prefer to get all different brands, if possible. Looks like the colors people receive for this item will vary. My color is desert trip. It veers a tad orange for me, but it blends well with other colors and I love the high level of shine.

5. Styli-Style Line & Seal Twist Mechanical Eye Liner

This was the big winner for me. Again, the colors receive will vary. I got raisin, which is a deep purply-brown and I super duper love it. The liner is creamy, goes on smooth, and doesn’t need to be sharpened. It’s a perfect shade for spring and I can also see it pairing well with certain eye shadow shades in the fall. LOVE it!

I’m hoping to see a lip liner in the mix in the next month or two from Beauty Box. That’s something I haven’t yet received. If you haven’t tried Beauty Box 5 yet, you can get it for $12/box if you go month to month, but I say spring for the whole year for just $99 because that makes each box $8.75, and even if you only like 2 out the 5 products each month, in that case it’s likely still worth the money. But I think most months you’ll like at least 3 out of 5 things, like me! Also, if you click through my link and use my referral code (HALFOFF) you’ll save 50% on your first box!

Keeping Your Baby Safe During Car Trips (and in style, too!)

March 20, 2015 · by Tiffany Merritt · Leave a Comment

I participated in an Influencer Activation on behalf of Influence Central for GB. I received a product sample to facilitate my review and to thank me for my participation. As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own!

When it comes to travel safety, there’s not much more important than a good car seat for your baby! We have a couple fun vacations planned this spring/summer that are going to have us in the car for several hours at a time, and I want to make sure my little ones are safe and comfortable for the whole ride.

If you’ve done any research on infant car seats you know that there are many options out there. I want to introduce you to a brand that I’d not heard of before – but I am definitely a fan now! GB has been manufacturing car seats for over 25 years. They also make strollers and travel systems (which are gorgeous, by the way!)

GB has taken protection to the next level with the FirmFit System on the GB Asana35 AP car seat! This special set of features offers protection like I’ve never seen in an infant seat before.

The first FirmFit installation feature is the Load Leg. This thing is really cool, you guys! When I first saw it in photos I had no clue what this bar sticking off of the seat was. Once my husband (easily) installed the car seat base though, it made immediate sense. The FirmFit Load Leg descends from the car seat base and sits on the floor of your vehicle. It provides extra stability and support for your baby’s head, neck and spine in the event of a crash. I was very interested to learn that this feature has been used in Europe for many years and now GB is finally bringing it to the US! The Load Leg is height adjustable to fit in most vehicles.
The second FirmFit installation feature is the FirmFit Arm. This lever in the center of the car seat base allows you to tighten the belt MUCH tighter than you would be able to on your own, providing much more security. Once we snapped that baby down there was NO play at all with the base. I’ve never gotten a seat so snug before! The FirmFit Arm actually provides an additional 20 lbs of force when securing the base.
The third FirmFit installation feature is the FirmFit Harness. Most other car seats I’ve seen require the rethreading of the straps to adjust the shoulder height. No more with the GB Asana35 AP! All you have to do is pull on the strap in the front to make the harness snug and it automatically conforms exactly to your child’s height for the perfect safe positioning. So easy! The headrest moves along with the harness so there is always perfect side impact protection as your baby grows.

We absolutely love the GB Asana 35 AP! It definitely looks and feels like a high-end car seat. This thing is classy, you guys! We received the Fuzion Red color and it looks great in my husband’s sporty black-on-black car. (He is such a guy about keeping his car looking “cool”. And even he won’t stop talking about how much he loves this seat! He reports that Katrina loves riding in it too.) But beyond the color and the style, here are some of our favorite highlights:

It has a nice, deep seat and the padding is cushy, comfy, and supportive.
The shoulder height adjusts very easily – no strap re-threading needed. It automatically conforms to baby’s height!
The car seat base is much more secure than any other seat we’ve tried. The FirmFit Arm lever in the center of the base tightens the belt another 2”-3” beyond what you could do on your own.
The FirmFit load leg keeps the base tight and balanced with no play at all. I am confident that my baby’s head, neck and spine would be well-protected in the case of a crash.

I have absolutely no concerns about my daughter’s safety in this seat! My only complaint is that it doesn’t come in a convertible version for when she outgrows the height limit on this one. (sniff!)

Interested in buying the GB Asana35 AP infant car seat? It’s available at ! If you’d like to see a little more about how the FirmFit features work first, you can check out a demonstration here:

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