Stuff Parents Need

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

My First Collection Volume 3 Featuring Chicken Little: Review and GIVEAWAY!!!

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I am LOVING the My First Collection series from Scholastic Video. If you aren’t familiar with it, these are stories designed for toddlers and preschoolers. The stories are short and sweet, and also age appropriate. They have a lot of great stories that were previously unfamiliar to me, so that’s made watching them with Darah all the more fun.

But in Volume 3 of their My First Collection series, Scholastic does have a very familiar charcter: Chicken Little. Darah thinks he is an absolute riot!

Volume 3 actually contains 3 dvds. One is all about zany animal stories. Another is all about funny animal stories (Scardy Squirrel being our personal favorite). The third DVD is all about dogs. Darah especially loves the Angus film, which is not a cartoon but a live action film with an adorable and mischievous Scottie dog.

The entire set contains 12 different stories, along with bonus interview footage and read-along subtitles to help promote word recognition and literacy skills. The set is $24.95 and is a great value, in my opinion! Scholastic has yet to disappoint us with a DVD, and once again, they have produced an excellent collection that is right on target for the suggested age range!

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader will win My First Collection Volume 3 from Scholastic!

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

Disclosure: I received a complimentary product for review purposes. All thoughts and opinions expressed here are strictly my own. 

Aurora Crinkle Friends Brights Review and GIVEAWAY!!!

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When Darah was a baby, she LOVED to hear crinkly sounds (dry leaves being stepped on during a walk, for example). She would pay such close attention with both her eyes and her ears. It was so cute to watch.

Aurora World actually has a line of plush toys that make that same crinkly sound when you touch them. They’ve had a crinkly frog, pig and cow out for some time, but they recently added some really fun and different animals to the mix.

Introducing the Crinkle Friends Brights! They crinkle, but they also squeak and rattle. And boy are they cute!

Take a closer look at our new friend, Hedgehog:

The day Hedgehog arrived, I explained to Darah before I opened the package that it was a new special friend for Layah. When I pulled out the crinkle friend, Darah shrieked with delight, and exclaimed, “Layah will love it!” And then she proceeded to play with the hedgehog for pretty much the rest of the day.

Long story short, Hedgehog sleeps in Darah’s bed now. She will still tell you that it is Layah’s toy, but that Layah is sharing with her. Hopefully in the next few months I’ll be able to get Darah to start sharing back with Layah!

Crinkle Friends are suggested for children ages 6 months and up and are priced at $17. They can be purchase at retail outlets or online at the Aurora shop. They are bright and absolutely delightful to babies. And toddlers, evidently!

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader will win the Crinkle Friends Brights of your choice!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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

Disclosure: I received a complimentary product for review purposes. All thoughts and opinions expressed here are strictly my own. 

Oh Katy One Size Pocket Diaper Review and GIVEAWAY!!!

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Today I’m bringing you a video review of the Oh Katy One Size Pocket Diaper. You do not want to miss seeing what is so unique about their inserts, so check it out!

And aren’t all the colors this diaper comes in just fabulous? Silver is my favorite, but I’m also swooning over twilight and violet!

You can purchase these diapers for $17.95 each. Oh Katy offers $5 flat rate shipping, too! AND, for the entire month of July, if you purchase 4 diapers you get 1 free! That’s like getting 20% off! Woo hoo!

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader will win an Oh Katy One Size Pocket Diaper in your choice of colors!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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

Disclosure: I received complimentary products for review purposes. All thoughts and opinions expressed here are strictly my own. 

Thirsties Diapers: Introducing the Thirsties Duo

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All in One (AIO) cloth diapers were my first love when it came to using cloth. Or to look at it a different way, they were my gateway drug. AIOs are the very best way for someone who is new to cloth to get started because they just couldn’t be any easier.

Thirsties Diapers has come out with a new diaper, the Thirsties Duo AIO diaper, and it has something I’ve never seen before on an AIO and it makes my heart skip a beat! I love it! Watch my video to see what it is!

Pretty sweet, right?!

thirsties diapers, thirsties duo

You can purchase one of these totally rad diapers from any Thirsties retailer or you can get them on Amazon!. Solids are $15.75 and prints are $16.75.

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader will win a Thirsties Duo AIO solid color diaper of your choice!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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

Disclosure: I received complimentary products for review purposes. All thoughts and opinions expressed here are strictly my own. 

BabyKicks NEW Premium Pocket Diaper Review and GIVEAWAY!!!

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Today I’m pleased to be featuring a new diaper from BabyKicks! It’s called the Premium Pocket Diaper and it has several really impressive and clever features. Check out my video to see just what this diper has to offer!

My personal favorite aspects of the diaper are the air gussets (which I thought was going to be my least favorite!), the JoeyBunz insert and the newborn snap. Great design, BabyKicks!

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader will win a BabyKicks Basic Pocket Diaper!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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

Disclosure: I received complimentary products for review purposes. All thoughts and opinions expressed here are strictly my own. 

Lotus Bumz Cloth Diaper Review

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Lotus Bumz is a cloth diaper company started by a mother named Lorain who saw the need for affordable cloth diapering options on the market. She has, in my opinion, come pretty darn close to perfecting the pocket diaper, all thanks to one especially clever feature, which I’ll tell you about shortly!

I was sent the one size pocket diaper in a cute star pattern (they do offer newborn pocket diapers, as well). We had to wait about a month after Layah was born to start using the diaper. Layah was 7 pounds 3 ounces when she was born, and was right around 9 pounds at 4 weeks. I will tell you that for the first week or two that we used the diaper, we had inconsistent results with it, in the form of leaks out of the legs (a problem we seem to frequently have with Layah in most cloth diapers). I think that Lotus Bumz simply require a little bit chunkier of a leg!

Now that we are further along and Layah has really started to chunk up big time, we aren’t having leaks at all with this diaper. So I don’t think our problems were the fault of the diaper, just a timing thing. I wouldn’t recommend the one size Lotuz Bunz for your newborn, but would definitely say to start using them around 6 or 7 weeks, which is when we started to have good luck with them. lotus bumz

Lotus Bumz one size pocket diapers feature 3 rows of snaps so that younger babies and toddlers alike can wear the diaper. Also note that there is a snap on each hip. I think this is a fantastic addition, as it does allow for a more snug fit around the legs, which as we discussed, is very important for Layah.

But the feature that I’m absolutely bonkers about, and that I think catapults Lotus Bumz diapers to the top of the pocket diaper pile is the hole in the back where you stuff the diapers. The hole is pretty small. Well, it really isn’t, it just  has elastic around it on both the outer and the inner sides, and this keeps the microfiber insert from coming out of the back. Trust me when I say that it is literally a pain in the rear to have your inserts start creeping out the back of your baby’s diaper. When your baby pees and the insert is sticking out, you are about to have one wet mess on your hands! Lotus Bumz nips that problem in the bud by having a back pocket that is not wide open like so many other diapers are. Three cheers for this feature, Lotus Bumz!

Lotus Bumz one size pocket diapers are available for just $16.97 in an adorable assortment of patterns and solid colors. You can also stock up and save by ordering 10 diapers at once, and in return, you’ll receive an extra diaper and a wet bag for FREE!

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader will win a Lotus Bumz printed pattern diaper! Yay!!!

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

Disclosure: I received complimentary products for review purposes. All thoughts and opinions expressed here are strictly my own. 

Sunbaby Diapers Review

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Attention all cloth diaper users who are on a tight budget! Have I got a treat for you today!

Sunbaby Diapers

There’s a brand of diapers called Sunbaby Diapers, and they are a frugal family’s dream come true! These are one size pocket diapers that are cute as a button and extremely easy on the wallet. Wanna hear just how inexpensive they can be? How’s $5/diaper for you?!

Now for the rub: you have to buy the diapers in larger quantities (group of 12) to get this great price. In fact, that’s the only way you can buy the diapers on the Sunbaby site. But for $60, you get 12 Sunbaby covers, or for $78 you get the 12 covers and 24 microfiber inserts. Shipping is FREE! I challenge you to find a better deal on diapers.

At this point you may be thinking what I was thinking…are these diapers being responsibly made if they can be sold for such a low price? The answer is yes! A wonderful lady named Sun Pei owns this company, and she oversees the production of her diapers. Here’s what she has to say about how the diapers are made: “Sunbaby Diapers are manufactured in Shanghai, China. Our city has strict laws forbidding cheaper labor. People who use child labor will be put into jail or fined huge amount money. So buy confidently! Your diapers are manufactured under fair labor conditions. I am the only seller of Sunbaby diapers in China, I never make wholesale business to retailers in china so that I can ensure that I have a reasonable profit and workers in our factory can get paid well and don’t have to work overtime.”

Sunbaby diapers have a very soft interior for a comfy fit for baby. They also have those awesome snaps at the hip to give an extra snug fit around the legs, which is where most cloth diaper leaks happen. They also have 3 vertical snaps so that the diaper can grow with your baby. Layah is still using the shortest setting at 2 months and it is working very well.

I also like that the one size diapers actually come in two sizes. Size 1 diapers are simply designed for a thinner baby, and size 2 diapers are the best choice for a chunkier baby. The website needs to be a bit more explicit about this information, as it is sort of buried in the site.

I do think that the outer PUL fabric is a bit thinner than some other brands of diapers I have used, but if you consider that the diapers cost about 1/3 (or less) of what other diapers cost, this difference can be overlooked. I have not noticed the thinner fabric to cause more leaks.

I also think the Sunbaby website should show the fabric colors and patterns offered so that customers can get an idea of what their package of 12 diapers might look like. My diaper had a cute Hello Kitty character (Melody) on it, but I had no clue what the diaper might look like before it showed up. sunbaby diapers

I’m very pleased with the Sunbaby line and would recommend these affordable cloth diapers to anyone! If you need to build a stash super cheap, this is the way to do it. You could also get together with a friend and split an order, too!

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader will win a Sunbaby diaper!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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

Disclosure: I received complimentary products for review purposes. All thoughts and opinions expressed here are strictly my own. 

$200 Amazon Giveaway Coming Soon! Bloggers, Get Signed Up!

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Get ready…I’ll be bringing you a $200 Amazon gift card giveaway in just 2 short weeks!

Event Details:

– The giveaway will go live on July 15, 2012
– Open Worldwide
– Prize: $200 Amazon Gift Card *1 winner*

Sign Up Fee & Info:

– NO COST for the first link (Facebook Page only)
– To participate, please share this free event on your site and complete the form below.
– If you would like to include more links (Twitter, Pinterest, Votes, etc.) for this giveaway, then please send the fee to chicalgene@gmail.com via Paypal. Each additional link will cost $3.

Click here to get signed up if you are a blogger!

How to Eat Fresh, Healthy Foods on a Budget! GIVEAWAY!!!

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Please enjoy this guest post from a mom-owned business that happens to be founded by a former housemate of mine! Lisa Peterson rocks! 🙂 Don’t miss the great giveaway at the end! 


It is easy for us all to make excuses or hide behind unanswered questions to avoid making the lifestyle changes which would truly improve our health, our relationship with the world around us, and our bottom line. A revolutionary approach is necessary to give us all the concrete strategies and resources necessary to reach real success with our food dollars.
For Lantern Financial Founder and President, Lisa J.B. Peterson, healthy eating was never a priority, but she started to think more about it upon the arrival of her daughter Alice in May 2009. Lisa is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER ™ and started Lantern Financial to help young professionals and families set financial goals and work toward achieving them. Obviously she had always been very conscientious of her budget when she trekked out to do the grocery shopping, but felt that eating healthy and sustainably required visiting “trendy”, upscale markets and that simply did not work with her budget.

She began to wonder… She knew there must be a way to feed her family fresh, healthy, sustainable foods but not break her piggy bank to do it. She was hearing the same concerns from the young families she was counseling. Everybody wanted to be healthy, but they either could not fit into their budget, or chose to make extreme sacrifices to do so. That’s where her research started.

Lisa connected with Annie Carlson , a sustainable farmer, mother of three, and Executive Director of FARRMS. Annie was able to provide amazing insight into making earth-friendly, tummy-friendly choices about food.  Lisa incorporated her knowledge of financial planning and living in an urban area…
And Voilà! A webinar was born!

“Lettuce Save You Some Cabbage- Preserving the World, Your Tummy, and Your Wallet” will answer all of the questions you have about eating healthy on a budget (Where can I buy local, sustainable food? What is important to buy organic, anyway? Where do I even start at the farmer’s market?). You will be able to ask your specific questions before “Lettuce Save You Some Cabbage” goes live. The $29 registration fee includes live participation and unlimited views of the recorded material.

The webinar goes like July 19th, 2012 at 1:00pm EST. You can register at http://www.lantern-financial.com/webinar .

Win it!: Lucky for all of you mommies, Tiffany is giving away a free ticket to the webinar! You can enter below!

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

Disclosure: I am receiving nothing but good karma for this post. I personally know Lisa. She’s one seriously savvy lady and I believe in her business. I would recommend her services to anyone, which is why I’m proud to feature her on my site!