I love walking through the baby gear section of Target to see what cool stuff they have available…now that I am done having babies, of course.  One of my favorite collections is by Dwell Studio for Target.  I first remember noticing it last spring when looking at my friend’s baby registry and seeing all the cool bedding and room decor by Dwell Studio she had on her Target registry.  The prints and colors were modern and cute, and definitely hipper than what I’d had to choose from for my kids just a year or so before.

And now, not only do they have room decor & bedding, but they have super-cute infant clothing as well! Seriously, these outfits make me swoon!

When the folks at Target asked me if I wanted to review anything by Dwell, I had to think for a minute- sadly, I don’t have a BABY anymore, so I didn’t just want to review something I couldn’t use. Then, I thought of someone I knew who could use something, so I asked Target if they and the good people at Dwell Studio and Fisher-Price would give me one of their awesome 3-in-1 feeding seats to review for my friend Elizabeth who is adopting a toddler boy from China this summer – and they agreed! Because Dwell Studio for Target and Fisher-Price ROCK!  So, Elizabeth and her family got this for their little guy who will soon be joining their family:

This is a really awesome high chair.  Not only is the fabric pattern pleasing to the eye, it’s also easy to wipe off when baby gets his or her food all over it. AND, as the name suggests, it is convertible! It goes from a high chair, to a space-saving feeding seat that attaches to a regular chair, to a regular booster seat when baby gets bigger!  At only $99.99, that is alot of chair (and style!) for the price.  Plus – it combines three great names you can trust, Dwell Studio for design, Fisher-Price for safety, and Target for a great price!

Dwell Studio and Fisher-Price also make this deluxe bouncer:

Is that not the bee’s knees? It’s so attractive it almost makes me want to have another baby just so I can put it in my living room and stare at it. (What? Is that not rational? LOOK AT IT!)

All this great Dwell Studio clothing, bedding, furniture, and gear is available online and in-store at Target. Go check it out!

A year and a half ago, I randomly met a very nice mom (hi Kristyn! Dude we need to get together!) at Barnes & Noble, when both of our kids were playing at the train table in the kids area.  She had just moved to the area and so I gave her my email address and told her to email me if she’d like to get together.  The ONLY problem with that is that I couldn’t find anything to WRITE on so I scrawled my email addy on an old wrinkled-up receipt that had been living at the bottom of my purse. Hey, I am nothing if not CLASSY, right? Well lucky for me, she looked past that and emailed me anyways, and we’ve been friends ever since.

However, if I’d had something like this:

Passing my info along to Kristyn would have been a whole lot easier!  This is the baby business card from She’s Got Papers – a perfect way to share contact information and plan playdates with other moms.  These cards are a very nice heavy weight, come in boy or girl versions, and can be personalized to say with a phrase about your child like “Future Astro Physicist” or “The Next Disney Sensation.”

She’s Got Papers also has lots of beautiful, stylish stationery for you.  From note pads to note cards, She’s Got Papers can help you say what you need to say with flair!

We’ve got a set of 30 Baby Business Cards to give away!  The winner will be able to personalize their order.  To enter, simply leave us a comment stating how you’ll personalize them if you win! (Don’t worry, you can change your mind later!)  For extra entries, you can tweet about this giveaway on Twitter and leave us a comment with the URL of your tweet, or you can subscribe to our feed and leave us a comment letting us know you did so, or already do.

One winner will be chosen by Random.org on Wednesday, March 4th!  Good luck!

Working outside the home and breastfeeding my son means I spend a lot of “quality time” with my breastpump. I spend a good amount of time and effort pumping, so it’s important to me to make sure I take good care of the milk I pump. I was very intrigued when I was offered the chance to review the MilkBank storage system, thanks to the Parent Bloggers Network.

From MilkBank ‘s website:
Clinical tests show that any level of oxygen exposure begins to spoil breast milk. For best nutrition, freshly pumped breast milk should be fed immediately or stored in MilkBank’s vacuum-sealed storage bottles for later feeding. Traditional storage methods, such as bags and bottles, trap harmful oxygen when sealed. This exposure to oxygen not only impacts the nutritional value, but can also distort the flavor, causing babies to reject stored breast milk.

I have had problems with that last part before – more than once, Sam has refused to drink milk that has been frozen. It’s frustrating when that happens, and quite a problem if it happens while I am not going to be with him for a while!

The MilkBank storage system uses a vacuum-sealing method that takes the extra air out of the storage units. This is easy to do, and much more effective than when I tried to just squeeze the air out of the top of my freezer bags!

The bottles are leak-free and are insulated, helping to keep the milk warm the entire time the baby is taking the bottle.

Best of all, the entire system is free of phthalates, PVC and BPA, so you have nothing at all to worry about when you feed your baby.

To learn more about MilkBank products, visit the MilkBank website. I found them here on Amazon.com.

We all know the name Gerber and most of us have fed their baby food to our kids or clothed them with their classic “onesie”.  Emily and I even have a picture of Joshua and Kate and 18 and 16 months respectively, that we got taken at Target, that features a can of Gerber fruit puffs!  Kate would not part with them for the picture, and in the photo she is lovingly sharing one with Joshua. It is so sweet!

Gerber isn’t just interested in our kids when they are babies – they want our kids to stay healthy for life.
Gerber is dedicated to improving the nutrition and eating habits of your growing children from birth to preschool through the Start Healthy, Stay Healthy campaign.  To create your own Start Healthy Stay Healthy pledge, go here and don’t forget to check out the Start Healthy, Stay Healthy YouTube channel at http://www.youtube.com/user/startstayhealthy!  Share your pledge with us in the comments section below, and you’ll be entered to win a Gerber diaper bag filled with a recipe tin and teddy bear!

The winner will be selected Thursday February 12 by Random.org. Good luck and happy entering!

My daughter gets growing pains quite a bit (especially when she’s over-tired) and I hate when it happens… partially because I can remember when it used to happen to me and exactly how bad it hurts, but mostly because there’s nothing I can do about it.  So, I was very excited to have the chance to try out Warm Whiskers.

Warm Whiskers are heatable and freezable aromatherapy pillows.  Theses animal-shaped pillows are filled with all-natural, pesticide-free grains and herbs, and are designed to closely hug the contours of your body.  The warm, moist heat and calming scent of lavender are a great comfort to kids, adults, and even pets!   

They come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes – they even have slippers!  Kate particularly likes this eye pillow:

It’s the perfect size for her to cuddle up with, and when she has growing pains now, we’re both glad there’s something we can do to make it better!  

Warm Whiskers makes a great gift for anyone who needs a little TLC!

 

I am in love.  With a diaper bag.  

Dramatic? Yes.  True? Definitely.

Check it out – what’s not to love?

Isn’t it fabulous?

The Skip Hop Studio is so cute that I would carry it to work, on a night out, anywhere - with or without diapers!  The fabric is wonderful – I love how it feels.  It’s water-resistant inside and out, and made of PVC-free, eco-friendly materials.  I also love the metallic zippers – they give it a little edge!

The first time I used the Studio, I was surprised at how much I could fit in it.  I had diapers, a full-size tub of wipes, baby food, puffs, table toppers, spoons, and various other stuff, with room to spare!  In fact, it’s got two insulated pockets on the ends, and 12 other pockets to hold everything you need.  It’s even big enough for a laptop!  The Studio’s stroller straps attach conveniently to the handlebars of any stroller, which is another great feature, and it comes with a quilted changing pad.

The Studio is a great buy at $89, and will look great long after you’re past the diaper years!

Jenny and I are pretty pumped about the new look here on Reviewin’ It Up… but we are even more excited about the fantastic giveaway we’re celebrating with!

This is, without a doubt, the biggest and best giveaway we’ve ever had. We are so thrilled!

One very lucky winner will receive each of the following prizes:

Mom-and-baby gear from Zoey’s Attic

Looking for a fun way to announce your pregnancy, to get your firstborn excited about being a big brother or sister, or to let your mom show her Grandma pride to the world? Look no further than Zoey’s Attic! I only wish I had had this shirt when I was pregnant with Sam – I would have worn it every time I saw Jenny just to drive her nuts! (she was not happy about us wanting to be ‘surprised’ at the birth!)

Baby MedBasics

Created by a husband/wife (and doctor/nurse) team after a scary choking incident involving their son, MedBasics is an essential what to do guide to infant emergencies. Emergency situations can happen anytime, anywhere, and these books are designed to go everywhere your baby does – they conveniently clip onto a stroller or diaper bag. Baby MedBasics gives you the tools you need to give your infant the care he or she needs while help is on the way. Topics include: CPR, Choking, Fever, Bleeding, Burns and Poison. This is definitely a must-have for every parent!

Breastfeeding with Comfort and Joy

Jenny and I are big advocates of breastfeeding, so we are very happy to be offering this outstanding book in our giveaway. This is another one of those things I wish I had had before my babies were born! Written by Laura Keegan, RN, FNP, this book focuses on what you need to know to get started in establishing a comfortable breastfeeding relationship and to solve problems should they occur (and more than likely, they will). This book can be extremely helpful to you even if you are reading it for the first time in the middle of a crisis. The book is user friendly with over 80 beautiful, full page color and black & white photographs that not only show you how to breastfeed your baby with ease, but also are a timeless celebration of breastfeeding. It is really an outstanding book, and a truly helpful tool.  Check it out at www.TheBreastfeedingBook.com and use the code mommin10 to get $10 off this amazing book!

Glow Mama

Glow Mama is a natural vitamin juice drink developed especially for new and expecting moms. It is completely natural, high in fiber and pre-natal vitamins, low in calories and approved by the American Pregnancy Association. And what I think is super-fun, their website has recipes for using Glow Mama to make mocktails including mom-osas, mom-itos, and strawberry diaperis!

Pig in a Blanket gift set

This little piggy is snuggled in a beautiful, plush blanket! The two-piece baby gift set contains adorable details, from piggy’s belly button to cute, curly tail to the artful gift box. The cream-colored piggy with tan feet, ears and nose, belly button and curly tail measure 14″ tall. The cream-colored blanket has cream, satin trim and “This Little Piggy” nursery rhyme embroidered and appliqued along all four sides. This would make a great baby shower present!

Bebe Au Lait gift set

This beautiful gift set includes one Bebe au Lait nursing cover and three matching burp cloths. The nursing cover is easy to use, machine washable, and multi-purpose. A rigid neckline that allows Mom and baby to maintain eye contact during feeding and other features like a small terry cloth pocket makes it the perfect combination of style and function. It can also be used as a sunshade over a stroller or front-carrier, as a lightweight blanket, or even a changing mat! The premium matching burp cloths are luxurious and ultra-absorbent.

Pregnancy pillow and breast pillow by Utterly Yours

The Utterly Yours breast pillow was specifically designed by a mom to make nursing a simpler and hands-free process. It provides comfortable breast support and the ideal position for nursing, so that moms can relax and focus on the laptop baby while nursing. The Utterly Yours pregnancy pillow is made with memory foam, and has a revolutionary cubic design. When opened, it forms two triangles and conforms to the mother’s belly. Since neither Jenny nor I are currently pregnant, we turned to Jenny’s friend Megan to try out this pillow for us. Here’s what she had to say: ” I want to carry this with me always… it is SO comfortable and gives just the right amount of support without putting pressure on the precious baby oven!” I am ALL for something that gives pregnant moms better rest!

Serta Perfect Balance crib mattress

Let me just say that I can hardly believe we’re giving away a crib mattress, but it’s true! The Serta Perfect Balance is the first environmentally friendly crib mattrees, and it’s the latest in sleep innovation. It’s distributed by LaJobi Industries, Inc, and available exclusively at Babies “R” Us. Made with organic cotton fill, the Serta Perfect Balance crib mattress cradles baby in a healthy, natural environment. Designed with comfort and durability in mind, the mattress features continuous heavy coils, flex mesh support and six-gauge border wire. A heavily laminated cover made without Phthalates protects from dust mites and bacteria, and there are eight air vents to keep the mattress fresh while providing a safe sleeping surface. The crib mattress also fits a toddler bed. Retail value $179.99!!!

And finally… my new very favoritest thing…

Summer Day & Night Color Flat Screen Video Monitor

The Day & Night Color Flat Screen Video Monitor from Summer Infant gives you superior picture quality and reception with 900 MHz technology. It allows parents to monitor baby anywhere from in the home and has a range of 400 feet. I was fortunate to receive one of these monitors for review, and let me tell you – it is wonderful. It is so nice to not only hear Sam, but be able to see him without going in his room and risk waking him up. It helps us to determine if he’s fussing around in his sleep, or if he’s awake and needs us to come in. One great feature is that you can turn the video part of it, while still having the audio on, so we don’t have to sleep with the “tv” on.. and yet, when the baby’s cries wake us up, we can see him with just the press of a button. It is a really great product.

So… can you believe that round-up? Woohoo!!! If you’re pregnant (or planning to get that way!) or just never want to have to buy a baby shower present again, this giveaway is for you!

To enter, just leave a comment on this post telling us which of the above products you’re most excited about. If you’d like an extra entry, tweat a link to the contest on Twitter, and then leave another comment on this post with the link to your tweat. The deadline for entry is Saturday, December 27 at 5:00 p.m. and the winner will be chosen by random.org.

Thanks and good luck!!!

P.S. Don’t forget to enter the great giveaway we’ve got going on at Mommin’ It Up – click here for details!

Does your stroller ever get in your way when it’s not in use? Mine does! It’s either taking up space in my trunk (I have SO regretted having it there on many a grocery trip) or it’s hanging out on our front porch. Unless of course, the weather is bad, then it’s in our living room. Um, not exactly my idea of home decor. So, when Mary Ann Schwanewede, mompreneur and inventor of the Stroll Away by MetroTots, invited me to try her product, I was eager to do so!

The Stroll Away is simply a heavy-duty steel hook that slides over the top of a household door. You hang your stroller on it and – voila! – it’s out of the way! I was instantly impressed with this product. It took only seconds to get the Stroll Away in place and our stroller hung up and out of the way!  The Stroll Away adjusts to fit most stroller models and holds strollers up to 35 pounds.  It’s a brilliant product, and one I certainly wish I had invented!

The Stroll Away is very reasonably priced at between $40-$50. Click here for a list of retailers, and soon your stroller storage woes will be over!

Need any last minute gifts?  I have a couple of ideas for you!

First, for the little girl in your life… try Baby Alive Learns to Potty!  

Remember Baby Alive from the old days?  Well, she’s back!  And now she’s learning to potty, haha.  Baby Alive eats, plays, and takes a bottle.  She’ll warn you when she’s ready to go – and then if you’re not quick enough, she’ll let you know that she’s had an accident.  Kate loves Baby Alive, and I’ve seen some great deals on this doll lately.  This is definitely a toy to check out!

Another toy we’re excited about this year is the Busy Basics Ball-tivity Center from Playskool. 

Sam loves this thing!  When it turns on, it blows air throughout the activity center, making the balls spin and the alligator’s mouth open and close – Sam is just mesmerized!  Although many of the parts spin, it’s totally safe – I stuck my fingers in the middle of all of it just to make sure, lol.  Sam loves to just watch and listen, and Kate loves to try to grab the balls as they spin.  This toy is a hit with both of them, and it’s great to have something they can enjoy together!

Recently I received an adorable Dr. Seuss bunting from Bumkins Baby to review thanks to the Mom Bloggers Club. Since my babies are no longer babies, I gave it to Emily to try out on Sammy. What do you think?

Isn’t that adorable? It is sweetly embroidered with Cat-In-The-Hat’s Thing One and Thing Two characters. This plush and fluffy bunting is made of snuggly polyester sherpa. The hood is lined with premium cotton interlock in an adorable polka dot print, and it snaps all the way down the front ensure easy dressing. I watched Emily put Sammy in it and it just took her a few seconds to get him all dressed in this comfy bunting. Another thing that’s nice about the bunting is that it is heavy enough to keep baby warm, but light enough to not interfere with car seat straps, so baby can still stay safe AND warm in the car. This holiday season, you can get a great bonus gift if you make a Dr. Seuss purchase at Bumkins! There are several adorable Dr. Seuss items to choose from. Just enter grinch08 at checkout, and you’ll get this super-cute Christmas Grinch bib (my Sophie has this and it is very cute and very functional)! You’ll also be entered to win a 4-pack of Grinch Christmas ornaments!

Get baby all decked out in Suess for the winter and be a winner too with Bumkins Baby!