Stuff Parents Need

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

Maternity Monday: Tommee Tippee Closer to Nature Review and GIVEAWAY!!!

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We are really getting into nesting mode around the house! Part of that experience has been bringing down Darah’s baby toys from the attic and getting them all prepped for the new baby. We all know that cleaning baby toys is important for the prevention of spreading germs, but what if the products, themselves, leave a harmful residue?

This is a non-issue with a great new line of products from Tommee Tippee! Their Closer to Nature line includes a sterliant collection. We’ve been using a few things from the line, and have been really impressed. This range of cleaning products helps you offer long lasting production against 99.9% of bacteria and viruses.

But you don’t need to worry about the products, themselves, being dangerous, either. They are completely safe because the cleaning agents are plant-derived. Yay!

We’ve been using the Baby Gear and Feeding Surface Cleaner to get all the toys ready for action. I will also be using this a great deal once it is time to use the high chair!

Another product we’ve been using A LOT lately is the Antibacterial Hand Soap Mousse. This is in a convenient pump bottle that we keep by the kitchen sink for the frequent hand washing we need to do (did I mention that both Darah and her dad caught Hand, Foot and Mouth disease a few weeks ago?). I have been able to keep the illness at bay thanks to having this product on hand.


Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader will win two products of your choice from the Closer to Nature Sterliants line!Other products in the Closer to Nature line include an Antibacterial Gel (great for the diaper bag!) and a Pacifier, Nipple, Teether and Toy Wipe (yet another diaper bag must for when baby spits out her binky and it falls on the ground!). The prices for these products range from $2.99-$9.99 and can be found at Target stores across the nation.

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Stellaluna DVD Review and GIVEAWAY!!!

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Recently Darah has been enjoying a really cute Scholastic DVD based on the award winning book, Stellaluna.

It’s about a young fruit bat who is separated from her mother and adopted by a family of birds. Try as she might to fit in, there are just some things that birds can do that she can’t and vice versa. But Stellaluna does make an amazing discovery that helps her see the value in not always being just like everyone else.

The dvd is very fun to watch and has music and excitement. It has been a really fun way to introduce Darah to bats, which she seems quite curious about, and it provides a great starting point for conversations about how we all have different gifts and abilities.

This dvd runs 41 minutes in length and comes with a Stellaluna activity booklet and has an ARV of $12.95. Want a sneak peek? Here’s a link to a clip from the movie!  http://www.newvideo.com/images/Clips/Q2/Stellaluna_Clip1_Flying.mp4

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader will win a copy of Stellaluna!

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New Balance Kids No Show Socks Review and GIVEAWAY!!!

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We are getting really close to the point where we are putting away all of Darah’s winter tights (she wears dresses constantly, so tights were a big piece of her winter wardrobe). But now it’s time to switch them all out for some really cute socks, and New Balance has some really brights and cheery options! Check out all the beautiful colors that come in the 6 pack…PERFECT for spring and summer!

But these are more than just cute socks. They are called New Balance Kids No Show socks, and they have a few special features I’d like to point out.

First, they have a comfort toe seam, which means that if your kid is really picky about how the seam of her socks feel (Darah throws a fit if she can feel them), then these are the perfect solution.

Second, these have what is called Stability Fit Arch Support & Hold technology, which provides a gentle compression to support the arch of the foot. This is great for growing feet!

Third, these socks have moisture management in them to help keep feet dry, even after hours of play!

Basically, these are all-around terrific socks for kids this summer, and the price is right, too, at just $9.99 for a package of 6. You can purchase them on the New Balance website here! You can also find the nearest New Balance store.

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader will win a 6 pack of New Balance Kids No Show socks!

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Can’t Wait from Grenadilla CD Review and GIVEAWAY!!!

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Grenadilla is the South African name for passion fruit. It’s also the name of a group that puts out kwela music, which is a updeat indigenous South African style of music marked by joyful, lively rhythms and birdlike pennywhistles.

Lead singer and South African native Debbie Lan has a beautiful voice! And the entire cd has such a fun feel…like a neighborhood coming together for a party! We have been absolutely delighted to welcome this fresh, vibrant music into our home. It’s probably not something I would have ever picked up on my own, but now that we have it, I’m so glad we do! It is expanding our musical horizons, and brings sunshine to our day when we listen to it. I highly recommend it!

Can’t Wait was released on March 6th and retails for $14.98. You can puchase it through Grenadillasings.com!

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader is going to win a copy of Can’t Wait by Grenadilla!

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Ezistock: Fair Trade from Thailand Review and GIVEAWAY!!!

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Ezistock is a company that promotes talented artisans in Thailand to the rest of the world. These artisans produce eco-friendly goods and artifacts using techniques that preserve local artistic traditions and cultures and bring those authentic pieces into your own home to enjoy. Ezistock is committed to not only helping to preserve the crafts of these artisans, but also to advancing fair labor practices in Thailand as well as sustainability practices.

I was recently contacted by the company and had the opportunity to shop with them and report back on my experience. I thought that they had a nice variety of really beautiful pieces in a wide range of prices to accommodate most any budget. They have everything from small trinkets to exquisite pieces of art.

I opted to shop for some jewelry for myself, as I rarely have time to shop for such things. I decided on a fair trade necklace with pearls, smoky quartz and glass beads. It came beautifully packaged in a decorative box, and looked absolutely beautiful when it was opened. I have been very impressed with the quality of the piece and the overall look. I think it was a very good buy at $44.59.

One other thing I absolutely love about the necklace is that Ezistock told me exactly who made it! From their site, “This product was designed and handcrafted by Sirada Chongsukwarakul. She was born and grew up in Chiang Mai. She is married and has a young daughter. She has a passion for flower arrangements and jewelry making. She draws inspiration from nature, beautiful flowers and crafts her jewelry accordingly. She works from home in Chiang Mai.” Ezistock even has a picture of this artisan on the site. This makes me feel so much more connected to the piece, and I absolutely LOVE knowing that this purchase has helped support another mother working from home, just as I work from home. I am very pleased with what I received and with all the great information that Ezistock.com supplied about the artisan who made it. It really does make this piece of jewelry much more special to me.

I do have a few suggestions for improvement, though. The shipping charges for larger and more fragile items (pots and vases, for example) are extremely high. No doubt the charge is true to the cost to ship something like that to the opposite side of the world (products are shipped to the buyer directly from Thailand). But I think buyers will be a bit turned off by the added expense. Perhaps having a distribution center in the United States would be ideal, as shipping prices could be reduced, as well as the time frame for receiving a purchase. The current 3-4 week turnaround might not be realistic given time constraints people might have when shopping for gifts. I will say that my necklace actually showed up in 12 days, which was much sooner than expected, though. But it is my understanding that you need to be prepared for it to take 3-4 weeks before your order arrives. 

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader will win a $50 gift certificate to Ezistock.com!

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Maternity Monday: Undercover Mama Nursing Tank Review and GIVEAWAY!!!

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One area that needs some advance thought before you bring a baby home is your new wardrobe, especially if you plan to breast feed. For the first two weeks after you have a baby, you’ll pretty much be living in a nightgown or something else that is super easy to get on and off and not too tight. Once things start to calm down a bit and your body slowly starts the process of taking on its new shape (not its old shape, because that’s not coming back for most of us!), you can also start to wear more “normal” clothes.

Sort of.

You see, when you are breastfeeding a little one, you’ve got to be able to get in and out of your clothes quickly and often. So you need clothes that will easily accommodate that. Trust me, I tried to wear more traditional things early on, and quickly found that I had to completely remove my clothes in order to nurse. That might work in your home, but it certainly won’t work if you are out and about.

So you are going to need some nursing clothes. Most tops designed for breastfeeding are ugly. There, I said it. In my experience, the way to go is to get nursing tanks which you can wear underneath tops that are more attractive then nursing tops. Even if you have to completely remove your top, you still have on a nursing tank and can remain covered.

But after having spent a lot of money on nursing bras (which are a necessity), there wasn’t much money left over for lots of nursing tanks. This is where today’s featured product comes in really handy. It’s called Undercover Mama, and it is a tank top that will attach to any of your nursing bras, transforming them into nursing tanks! Genius!

Check out this quick video that shows you exactly how Undercover Mama tanks attach to your nursing bras to create nursing tanks for you!

Talk about one of those “Why didn’t I think of that?!” products! I can tell you right now that my Undercover Mama tank is going to be a workhorse in my post-partum wardrobe. What a great money saver this is, and it also is more comfortable than a traditional nursing tank because you don’t have to wear one more layer of straps. Just your bra strap is needed! Thank you, Undercover Mama, for making dressing for breastfeeding more comfortable and more affordable!

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader will win an Undercover Mama nursing tank!

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Seventh Generation Partners with The Lorax! GIVEAWAY!!!

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I’m all geared up to go cloth from the start with baby #2. I plan to go cloth as soon as the umbilical cord falls off! I’ll have a few days where I need to use disposables, and about 2 weeks after baby is born, we’ll be hitting the road for a few days to go to my sister’s wedding. Cloth is totally doable on the road, but I just don’t want to mess with it in the midst of trying to enjoy Laura’s big day. So I’ll be taking some disposables. But I still want to keep all those nasty chemicals away from my newborn, so I’m being quite choosy about which disposables I will be using. is what I’m going to use!

They have actually just released a new and improved Free & Clear diaper product line, and are launching these products with a little help from Dr. Suess’ “The Lorax!” The Lorax is the “Speaker for the Trees” in this classic tale, which Universal Studios’ has now released as a motion picture. He is a great advocate for those who may not be able to advocate for themselves (the earth, the animals, the air). Seventh Generation will feature limited edition Lorax prints on all diapers and training pants. This is such a great way to remind parents and caregivers that we are responsible for caring for the earth, and we don’t speak up, who will?

Seventh Generation has an entire line of Free & Clear baby products that your family is sure to love, including brand new overnight diapers. Hooray! Free & Clear diapers also have improved tabs for a better fit and the training pants have an absorbant core made with more renewable materials. Seventh Generation truly listens to feedback from its customers to ensure that they put the very best products possible on the shelves. Furthermore, these products are free of chlorine, fragrance, petroleum-based lotions or latex and they are hypo-allergenic.

Beginning March 2nd, if you purchase any 3 Free & Clear diaper products, you can register for a FREE The Lorax scrapbook! Fun!

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader is going to win a prize pack with the following great items:

  • A copy of Dr. Seuss´s The Lorax storybook
  • One package of new Seventh Generation Free & Clear diaper product

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Hot Dots Jr. Alphabet Cards Review and GIVEAWAY!!!

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We have a FANTASTIC new educational toy at our house, and I’m so excited to share it with you! It comes to us from Educational Insights, an online store that is packed with really great games and toys that help children learn important concepts.

Hot Dots, Jr. is an interactive set of flash cards. We received the beginning alphabet cards. You use these cards in conjunction with a special talking pen that helps children know if they have solved the problem on the card correctly, or if they need to try again. Darah has Kat, and they also offer Ace the dog. Kat’s eyes turn green and she purrs when Darah selects the right answer. She meows when Darah needs to try again.

The cards in the beginning phonics set have various problems that need to be solved. Darah is just now mastering the set of cards that has her match upper case and lower case letters. We are now moving into the cards that also have her match upper and lower case letter, but offer more options and seem to be a bit more difficult. Darah absolutely LOVES to do these flash cards, and she does not get discouraged when she misses the answer. She remains very focused and also practices the sounds the letters make while doing her work. Its really pretty awesome to watch!

I will most definitely be getting more of these cards for her to work with because she has responded so well to them. I also like that they come in a compact case with a velcro lid and a canvas handle for easy storage as well as easy access by Darah. She can pull these out on her own and put them away on her own, which is really nice.

Hot Dots, Jr. card sets retail for $14.99 each and the talking pens retail for $12.99 each. I highly recommend these products as a way to keep the learning that is happening at school also happening at home.

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader will win a Hot Dots Jr. card set and a talking pen!

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Get Ready for Spring with Havainas Flip Flops! GIVEAWAY!!!

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Here in Tennessee, the weather is starting to get downright gorgeous! The high yesterday was 72!!! I’m starting to pack away my boots and to unpack my sandals and flip flops!

If you are doing the same thing, you may be noticing that some of your spring/summer footwear looks a bit worn. Maybe it’s time for an update! And have I got a CUTE one for you today! Check out Havaianas flip flops. They give a whole new updated look to this casual style! They have bold, fresh colors and patterns that will make your feet look great, even if you are in desperate need of a pedicure (That’s me! My toes are screaming for some TLC!). I’m currently swooning over these lace pattern sandals! How cute!!

You are sure to find something that makes you swoon in their collection, but even if you don’t, do not fret, because at Havaianas you can make custom sandals suited to your individual preferences! I tried it out and made the cutest purple and green sandals with just a little bit of bling on them. They are so me!!

Aside from the amazing style selection, what I really love about Havaianas is that this company is all about social responsibility. From their site, “Havaianas stands for style, comfort, affordable luxury, and positive energy. As a part of this positive energy, Havaianas, along with its parent company, Alpargatas, believe in social and environmental responsibility. We participate in many programs and contribute to organizations ensuring that we do our part to support society and our planet.” In addition to supporting conservation programs, they also practice what they preach in their factories by using sustainable business practices that ensure the health and safety of their workers and their local environment. Love it!

Win it!: Just in time for spring, here’s your chance to win a pair of flip flops of your choice (up to $40) from Havaianas! Woo hoo!

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