Connected2Christ » Baby

Oral-B Mommy Party!

Erin — Sat, 10 Dec 2011 17:30:18 +0000

I’m excited to let you know that just recently MommyParties and Oral-B gave me the opportunity to share some fantastic products with my own family, extended family, and other moms that I know with younger children through a Winnie the Pooh DVD viewing party for the kids.

I was thrilled to be picked as a host. I am all about spreading the news about products that can benefit needs in our day to day life. The products that I was sent that every mom was able to take home and keep for their kids in my pre-made gift party bags included Oral-B stage 1&2 brushes, Oral-B Toothpaste ( themed for both girls and boys), Disney Lavender body wash, an information pamphlet all about Oral-B Stages products, and very much appreciated coupons!

My own daughter which is three years old was pretty excited and couldn’t wait to brush her teeth with her new tooth paste! I heard the same from the other mothers as well following up after our celebration! It really helps that Oral-B teamed up with Disney to feature well loved characters kids have grown to love.

My son is 11 months old and we’ve been getting him into the routine of brushing his teeth. He’s got six teeth currently with two more on the way! I honestly can’t believe he got so many teeth so quickly! No worries though, Oral-B makes choosing the right dental hygiene products for me and other mothers so easy with their Stages products.

Oral-B currently has three stages. The first is for 4-24 month old babies. These brushes have non-slip handles, help protect tender gums, fits babies’ small mouths, and makes brushing fun with Disney Baby characters. I’m pleased to say my son is getting pretty good holding and brushing the toothbrush all on his own pretty well! The second stage of products are for 2-4 year olds and the third for 5-7 year old children. Each stage is a little different than the previous completely covering everything needed as children grow older.

A lot of information was given out in my party bags but I also wanted to point out that there’s a really handy guide about dental care on the Oral-B website for anyone else interested in the Oral-B products if you already aren’t a fan!

Overall I got a fantastic response from both the kids and their parents about the great products by Oral-B. And with all the great benefits, it’s no wonder that Oral-B is #1 dentist recommended toothbrush brand for kids.

You can find Oral-B products at most retail and drugstores. Be sure to checkout Oral – B on Facebook and Twitter for the latest news , discounts, and promotions!

*I was not paid for this post. I was given free products in exchange for hosting this party made possible by MommyParties. These thoughts and opinions are my own.

Holiday Gift Guide 2011: Kidorable Space Hero Collection {Review + Umbrella Giveaway!}

Erin — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 18:56:07 +0000

Have I got an out of this world product line to tell you about from Kidorable! I’ve mentioned this company many times here on my blog because they are a go to for all my children’s rain gear. I’m pleased that for over ten years, this company has created functional and fun children’s apparel of all kinds and keep coming up with great new styles and designs that continue to wow me. In my mind, Kidorable is a name that both parents and children should get excited about.

I was beyond thrilled when I was given the opportunity to review several products from the Kidorable “Space Hero Collection” for my baby boy. This collection is incredibly adorable! It was right up my alley since we’ve been sticking with an outer space theme since my little boy was born! Rockets, the moon, stars, aliens, astronaut, they totally covered everything I could have ever hoped to find in a rain jacket and more! I was so ecstatic that I texted my best friend, my husband, and social networked about my find so anyone else that may have been looking for something similar could also see what was offered in the brand new collections!

My friend just got the brand new Dragon Knight set for her baby boy and oh my gosh both of our sons are totally styling, completely oozing with cuteness! We’ll apologize to them later for all the flashes from cameras, squeezed cheeks from family members, over the top attention, and embarrassing pictures to share with their girl friends and to include in their future graduation photo slide show.

I was sent the Space Hero Raincoat which included a free rocket ship hanger, Space Hero boots, and the matching Rocket Ship Backpack to review. This collection comes in classic yet bold space man themed colors of gray, blue, and orange. It’s very eye catching and perfect for any child sizes one through six years old.

The Space Hero Raincoat is made out of PVC which is very easy to wipe clean and lined with polyester. It has one flap over pocket on the front, four button snaps from top to bottom, and inner loop for hanging. The raincoat itself has hood that looks like an astronaut helmet. It’s really cute! My 11 month old baby boy is still growing into this coat as it’s 12-18 months in size. But he can wear it now if I roll up his sleeves. It’s got enough give to put over a bulky sweater too making this rain coat perfect for almost all season!

The Space Hero boots, are perfect for puddle jumping! These are excellent in resisting water with the natural rubber exterior and the top part is cinched so no water gets inside! The cinched top is also perfect for tucking in the bottom of your child’s pants. These boots are light weight so it won’t weigh down your children’s feet as they are walking or running. Speaking of running, the non-skid soles improve traction on wet surfaces and are great in preventing accidents. You can easily wipe these clean after a day in the mud! This style of boot is available in My First (size 5), children’s sizes 6-13, plus young adult sizes 1 and 2.

The matching Rocket Ship Backpack is great for kids of all ages. We are using this pack right now as a day bag for my son. It’s got plenty of room to add diapers, snacks, a cup, and a few other things. I know as my son get’s older, he’ll still use this bag as it would be perfect for any outing whether it be a trip to the park, the beach, grandma’s house, or the local zoo.Overall there’s nothing we don’t like about the Space Hero Collection from Kidorable. In fact, we are already looking to purchase the matching umbrella as well as a new rain collection for my three year old daughter for this upcoming Spring!

Interested in Purchasing?

Kidorable offers more than just rain wear! I encourage you to check out their knit hats, gloves, and scarves for the cooler weather roo. I couldn’t help but mention that their items would also make wonderful Holiday gifts this season! There is free shipping on all orders over $100

**For the week of December 5-11 ONLY, use the coupon code DRAGON7 to get a free Dragon Knight umbrella with any order over $20 (make sure you add the umbrella to your cart first!). **

Win it!

I am thrilled to be giving one of my readers the opportunity to win their very own umbrella!

Disclaimer: I was sent several products to review from Kidorable. This review is 100% my opinion and has not been edited or reviewed by anyone. I was not compensated in any other way for this product review.

2011 Holiday Gift Guide: BKids Stack’n Link Pal {review}

Erin — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 14:00:16 +0000

Having recently written my thoughts on the Soft Peek-A-Boo Blocks baby toy, I’d now like to introduce you to yet another fun toy from the Bkids called the Stack ‘n Link Pal .

This ring stacking toy is incredibly cute topped off with a clever monkey friend! It’s four brightly colored rings are very stimulating for babies. And the rings themselves have different textures and images that babies can explore.

A great feature that I’ve not seen in a stacker before is the fact that the rings can not only be stacked on top of each other but they can also easily be linked together on the small opened section included on each ring! I love toys that challenge children in more than one way. This makes the playability factor quite high!

This toy is all hands on and completely enhances gross motor skills, babies can learn colors, explore textures, notice differences in sizes, learn how to link things together, and bat the toy itself back and forth by the base.

My 10 month old baby boy hasn’t learned how to link the rings together yet but he sure likes to shake them to make a clanging sound when they are. He’s getting better at stacking and this toy has been a wonderful aid in learning for him.

The Stack ‘n Link Pal itself is made out of a harder plastic so this toy doesn’t make for the best teether. And on occasion I found the the the middle piece and the base easily came apart during play. This makes for easy for cleaning but maybe not so much fun for a child that’s a little rough on things. And in all truthfulness my son goes for the Soft Peek-A-Boo Blocks a lot more often that this toy. Maybe he’ll like it more in a few months and maybe it’s just personal preference but both my kids are hugely into their blocks! I just wanted to put that out there.

If you are still doing your Holiday shopping for the children in your life I encourage you to check out the BKids website and look at all the other great toys that are offered.

Get Connected! Visit “BKids” at www.blueboxtoys.com |BKids at FACEBOOK and on TWITTER

Disclaimer: I was sent the above product mentioned for review. This review is 100% my opinion and has not been edited or reviewed by anyone. I was not compensated in any other way for this product review.

Tasty Teething Biscuits

Erin — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 19:23:51 +0000

This week I made teething biscuits/cookies for my 9 month old baby boy. I had been wanting to for awhile and finally did since the baby cereal had been stacking up in the pantry. Seriously, he does not like that stuff but he’ll eat it when it’s made into a biscuit! I plan on trying different variations since we aren’t afraid of flavor and he pretty much eats everything that we eat. Last night he got his first taste of steak and you can guess that he was eager for more of that. Now I know why people says boys will eat you out of house and home.

I got the recipe for the biscuits I made from the Wholesome Baby Food website. There are a lot of recipes to choose from but today since I had a lot to do, decided to use a really simple one. Not that most of them aren’t simple I just didn’t have the time to measure out the spices and other things. Three ingredients that were on my counter top and easy to throw together, yes please! I went with this one:

Eggless Baby Cereal Cookies

Ingredients:

1 cup flour ( I used all purpose)
1 cup baby cereal ( I used oatmeal baby cereal)
1 cup juice ( I used apple)

Directions:

Mix ingredients well. Roll out and cut into shapes. Bake for 20-30 min @ 350 deg. F.

Freezes Well *Dough will be very sticky and seem “wrong” and may be hard to work with. This is as it should be so do not panic. You may wish to add more flour and/or cereal to achieve a more doughy consistency.*

I had fun making these and I had such adorable cookie cutters that hadn’t seen any love for awhile. Not that I don’t bake cookies often but I don’t usually make roll out cookies till around the cooler seasons. The summer time usually puts a damper on my baking due to not wanting to heat up the house so much. I look forward to making more of these. They are so easy to do and making them yourself is a lot more affordable than purchasing boxes of the pre-made ones.

Greenchild Creations OS Fitted Cloth Diaper {review + giveaway}

Erin — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 13:00:14 +0000

There’s a lot of reasons I choose to cloth diaper. Though this reason may not be the most important that there is, it’s up there. What reason may you ask? Well, it’s but because of all the cute patterned fabrics you can get cloth diapers in these days! Who really wants a boring old white or branded character diaper if you really don’t have to get one?

Speaking of cute cloth diapers, you should see the ones offered by Greenchild Creations! And how thrilled I am to be reviewing a one sized flannel fitted cloth diaper from there personally.

First off, this diaper is one sized! No need to measure your baby in any way. I like that because it saves time and there’s no need to purchase more diapers when my baby gets bigger! Believe me, I know those growth spurts seemingly come out of nowhere!

The design of this diaper has a flap that can be tucked in the pocket opening the diaper has. I love the pocket because I can stuff whatever liners I have into the diaper for day or night use. Now if your baby is wearing this overnight or on the go, I would recommend using a water-proof cover because the diaper itself is not waterproof. And with all that being said, I’ve been loving this diaper and we’ve had no leaks!

Also, I was sent this diaper with safety pins. I usually don’t use pins because I have this huge fear of accidentally poking my baby. But no worries, I used my Snappi with the diaper and it all stayed together great. And if you don’t want to use safety pins like me, snaps can be added to the diaper you may want to purchase upon request.

I asked Anne, creator behind Greenchild Creations for my review a few questions so you could get to know her better too! Here are the questions and answer.

1.Why did you decide to open shop and how long have you been? At much urging from friends, I decided to create the shop in 2009. Life was a little crazy at that point so I let the shop sit for awhile. After things calmed down a bit, the summer of 2010 I spent creating my diaper design and sending it out to friends in the US and Canada to test it out for me. After a few design modifications, I opened shop in Dec 2010. Then my mom made me the most adorable hedgehog pincushion that Christmas, and I convinced her to contribute to my shop. She makes the pincushions and will be making personalized crocheted snowflakes for Christmas.

2. What do you enjoy the most when creating your products?
I think the best part is being able to experiment with it all and see what happens. I love the sense of satisfaction I get from seeing a beautiful, useful finished product, knowing I created it.

3. Apart from creating things, what do you do? I stay at home with the most amazing little boy, readers can learn more about him here if they wish: http://thegreenchildchronicles.blogspot.com/2010/06/introduction.html And I spend a lot of time cooking; I love it! I am in process of writing a cookbook inspired by my little boy.

4. What inspires you? When I see a need or a want for something, I get inspired – whether it’s from a person, place, event, even nature!

5. In five years you’d like to be…? In 5 years I’d like to be doing much the same thing: sewing, making natural skin care products, and creating new recipes. I love what I do; creating beautiful, useable things makes me happy

Overall…We are thrilled to spread the word about Green Child Creations! Many wonderful items are available in their Etsy store such as handmade soaps, pincushions, aprons, diapers (obviously), and balms! I encourage you to check it all out.

…And now for the chance to win a Greenchild Creations OS Fitted Cloth Diaper of your own! (US & Canada is eligible)

To Enter: Check out Greenchild Creations flannel stash and let me know what pattern you’d like if you won!

Extra Entries:

1. Blog this giveaway, link back to this post.

2. Follow on Twitter @erinlowmaster & Tweet (daily entries available)

Example: Win an incredible cute OS Cloth Fitted Diaper from Greenchild Creations! #Giveaway, @erinlowmaster at Connected2Christ.com

3. Post this giveaway on a Giveaway Linky/Site and let me know where!

4. Email a friend(s) about this giveaway. (And tell them to refer you in their entry)

5. Subscribe to my blog by RSS or E-mail (Feed Burner) and let me know!

6. Become a Facebook Fan of Connected2Christ and leave me a comment there letting me know you are coming from this giveaway.

7. “LIKE” Greenchild Creations on Facebook and let them know you are stopping by from my giveaway!

Giveaway running till 10/10/11 . Winners will be notified shortly afterward by email. Please respond within 48 hours or you forfeit your prize to another participant. USA & Canada only.

Little Toader Appeteether {review and giveaway}

Erin — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 12:40:25 +0000

You just never know when a baby is going to get their teeth in. And this was totally the case when my baby boy started getting his bottom two teeth in at 5 months and then his top two teeth only weeks later. This was not the case with his sister! She didn’t get her first teeth till she was eight months old. And with teeth coming through comes lots of drooling, crankiness, and chewing on everything to ease the pain.

In light of possibly one of the roughest times every baby and parent go through together, Little Toader has brought us a reason to smile with their clever and effective Appeteethers!

These soothing teethers are pretty clever as there’s the Chompin’ Chicken Wings and Baby-Q Ribs! APPETEETHERS are soothing for baby’s gums and safe because they are non-toxic and Phthalate free, BPA free, PVC free, and lead free. They come in a variety of colors and are textured! So when you are munching down on your favorite wings or ribs recipes you can safely offer these to your little one as a substitute!

My baby boy is quite a fan of his Chompin’ Chicken Wing teether. And I know without a doubt this teether is going to be even more of a Godsend when he starts getting those molars in! It’s the perfect thickness and it’s got textures that are great for soothing his sore gums. And it’s worthy to go out with us to places where a lot of noise isn’t permitted. Yes, I’m referring to those teethers that squeak and make noises. Overall, I think this one would make a fun gift and great teether for anyone with a teething baby!

You can purchase this particular teether for 14.99 at Little Toader. Be sure to check out their other nifty products too!

Win it!

To Enter: Let me know what you use to ease a teething babies gums!

Extra Entries:

1. Blog this giveaway, link back to this post.

2. Follow on Twitter @erinlowmaster & Tweet (daily entries available)

Example: Win a Appeteether for your baby! #Giveaway, sponsored by @erinlowmaster at Connected2Christ.com

3. Post this giveaway on a Giveaway Linky/Site and let me know where!

4. Email a friend(s) about this giveaway. (And tell them to refer you in their entry)

5. Subscribe to my blog by RSS or E-mail (Feed Burner) and let me know!

6. Become a Facebook Fan of Connected2Christ and leave me a comment there letting me know you are coming from this giveaway.

7. “Like” Little Toader on Facebook.

Giveaway running till 10/03/11 . Winners will be notified shortly afterward by email. Please respond within 48 hours or you forfeit your prize to another participant. USA & Canada only.

**Disclaimer: The product/s mentioned above will be given to me free of charge from the company or PR firm in exchange for being featured on Connected2Christ.

Dandelion ‘Natural Tableware’ {Review}

Erin — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 13:00:59 +0000

My little guy enjoying his earth friendly tableware by Dandelion!

My eight month baby boy loves food. In fact, breakfast, lunch, and supper time just might be his most favorite times of the day. He’s acutally quite skilled when it comes to dining and I’m taking that as a queue to start introducing him to flatware of his very own.

A brand of natural tableware that I highly recommend for babies and children would have to be the variety offered by Dandelion Earth-Friendly Goods. These particular products are BPA free, Phthalate Free, PVC Free being made from corn which is a fantastic renewable and sustainable resource!

I have the 2 pack plate set and the 8 piece utensil set which includes forks and spoons. They also have bowls and they are next on my list to acquire. Currently, I’m loving the light weight factor and the stack-ability of the plates in my cupboard. The spoons are nice and deep making them great for things like soup, yogurt, and whatever else may tend to make it to the floor before your childs mouth! The forks have nice rounded tips and like the spoons are shaped perfectly for the grasp of a young child beginning to learn to self feed.

I’ve been using these earth friendly products for almost two months now and they’ve been holding up wonderfully. You should know that this flatware is not dish washer friendly nor to be used in the microwave. But like I said I highly recommend Dandelion Earth-Friendly Goods and if you are looking for a more GREEN choice, I’d go with these.

Buy it: You can purchase an 8 pack of utensils for $6.99, a 2 pack of plates for $7.99 and a set of bowls is $7.00. These are available online and at other select retailers. worldwide . And if you ask me, these are very reasonable prices for earth-friendly wares!
Get Connected with Dandelion at their store, website, blog, Facebook and Twitter!

Disclaimer: I was sent the Organic Soft Shape Sorter by Dandelion for review. This review is 100% my opinion and has not been edited or reviewed by anyone. I was not compensated in any other way for this product review.

The Juppy Baby walker {Giveaway}

Erin — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 13:45:08 +0000

To Enter: Let me know who you’d like to win The Juppy Baby Walker and what color you’d like!

Extra Entries:

1. Blog this giveaway, link back to this post.

2. Follow on Twitter @erinlowmaster & Tweet (daily entries available)

Example: Win the ‘Juppy Baby Walker’ #Giveaway, sponsored by @erinlowmaster at Connected2Christ.com

3. Post this giveaway on a Giveaway Linky/Site and let me know where!

4. Email a friend(s) about this giveaway. (And tell them to refer you in their entry)

5. Subscribe to my blog by RSS or E-mail (Feed Burner) and let me know!

6. Become a Facebook Fan of Connected2Christ and leave me a comment there letting me know you are coming from this giveaway.

7. Comment on the Juppy Baby Walker review I wrote! (2 entries)

Giveaway running till 09/30/11 . Winners will be notified shortly afterward by email. Please respond within 48 hours or you forfeit your prize to another participant. USA only.

DISCLAIMER: My thoughts are mine own opinion and have not been altered by anyone else. I did not receive any compensation for hosting this giveaway or review other than the sample above mentioned.

Jumpy Baby Walker {Review}

Erin — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 13:00:51 +0000

My 8 month old baby boy trying out his Baby Jumpy Walker

My son just turned eight months old and he’s quite determined to get a move on! He’s always wanting to stand up and put his feet forward in a walking motion while bobbing up and down when holding on to our hands. This action is quite encouraged but it can often put quite a undesirable strain on the back of whomever way be helping him along. But now strain be no more with a wonderful product I wish I had when my oldest was a baby called the Juppy Baby Walker.

The Juppy Baby Walker was created to be a training aid in helping your baby boy or girl ( 7 – 13 months/30lbs) along in learning how to walk It’s also doctor recommended and helps reduce the amount of falls and accidents! And the biggest pro in my opinion is it’s great design to keep it’s wielder’s back pain-free!

I was sent a Juppy Baby Walker in blue that is fully lined for my son and we’ve set it to use right away! It doesn’t surprise me my son like my daughter is probably going to be walking well before his first birthday and this product in my opinion is fantastic in helping him get there. I feel that his confidence in taking steps has increased tremendously thanks to Juppy.

The Juppy comes with it’s own pouch making it easy to throw in your car, diaper bag, medium to large sized purse, or luggage for travel. To use, you simply zip the zipper down, place the baby in, and zip it back up. You’ll then take the two adjustable straps and walk with your baby. So simple but yet so effective! The Juppy is very well made and it’s also machine washable.

Taking steps outdoors!

We often go to the park and my son as happy as he’s been in his stroller or front pack, he still wants to get down and explore with his big sister. And since there’s no way I’m going to let him crawl on his hands and knees on the ground, I reach for the Juppy instead! He is so happy to be walking about along with us. Pretty soon we won’t need it all and I’ll be able to pass it along to someone else that I know!

Buy it: You can get your own Juppy Baby Walker online here for either $29.95 or $19.95. Pricing depends on the color you choose whether black, pink, or blue, if you want it lined or not& if you want your babies name embroidered on your Juppy. This is a fantastic product that I’ve been nothing but happy about.

Get Connected: Connect with Juppy on Twitter & Facebook!

Bear Teething Blanket by Dandelion {review}

Erin — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 14:00:26 +0000

I wasn’t to sure on how much I liked those little blanket toys until I received one to review for my son from Dandelion. This company which I’ve spotlighted before specializes in lots of organic baby & children toys not to mention other items such a those used for eating, wearing, and tote bags great for keeping it green!

My 7 month old baby boy playing with his new friend!

Let’s talk more about the Bear Teething Blanket! My eyes were right away drawn to the soft colors and whimsical designs. The swirls and circles are definitely attention grabbers for a baby too! I noticed the knots which would be great for a teething baby and how it has been for my son! This toy is made from sustainable organic cotton fiber and is filled with corn fibers which makes for an oh so soft companion.

A few weeks ago, I introduced bear to my seven month old baby boy and I’m happy to say this toy has been a hit! My son can spend a good amount of time exploring his new fun friend. My son has been enjoying teething on the knots as well as well as kissing and crinkling this toy. It’s so fun to watch my son play. And since this toy gets played with a lot, it’s been to the wash several times and I’m happy to say it’s still holding up very well!

This toy makes a great teether.

The size of the Bear Teething Blanket makes it easy to throw in a bag for on the go. This little bear I’m sort of pushing to become a lovely for my son since he’s having such a hard time being away from mommy. So anytime my son is upset, I give him this toy as a security item. It’s something familiar and from home making him the perfect take-along buddy. I only wished that this toy had a hooking type loop so it would be easy to attach it to stroller, grocery cart, or car seat. Other than that there’s nothing I don’t like about this toy.

You can purchase Dandelion Classic Organic Toy Bear Blanket for 11.50 right now on Amazon with free super saving shipping! I highly recommend it and I think it would make a great baby gift. On a side note, they also have this blanket in a bunny style too!

Get Connected with Dandelion for organic baby toys on their store, website, blog, Facebook and Twitter!

**Be on the look out because I’ll be offering a giveaway of this product as well as a few others by Dandelion! **

Disclaimer: I was sent the above mentioned product for review. This review is 100% my opinion and has not been edited or reviewed by anyone. I was not compensated in any other way for this product review.