BellyLaf is a newly launched company with two great products for parents & children.

For those of you with or expecting newbies or looking for a great shower gift, Grippees are wash mitts that gently grip baby with soft “GrippeeDots” on the palm. If you’ve ever bathed a slimy newborn, you know what a great idea these are! They’d be great for bathing a child of any age, actually, since it’s rather convenient not having to hold a wash cloth, but particularly for newborns these are fantastic. I especially love the complete elimination of nail gouges in my baby since I started using these. Now it’s only her big brother that makes her look like she’s abused. They retail for $16.95/pair and are available in five cute “Smart Shapes” designs. Each Smart Shape has a name and a story that the kids will love!

MiniMitts are just that - mini mittens for children to wear when they’re learning to wash themselves in the bath. They’re great for increasing confidence and independence, and are also a hit with my son for covering his eyes while his mean parents rinse his hair. (We never get water in his eyes and are rather proficient kid-bathers. How old are they when they understand that if they look down before we wipe their forehead off, their eyes are going to get wet? Anyway…)

Both Grippees and MiniMitts are made of 60% super soft bamboo, which is naturally anti-microbial, hypoallergenic, thermal regulating and odor free. Bamboo is naturally grown without fertilizers, pesticides or insecticides and is biodegradable. The other 40% is cotton.

What a great gift these would make - Grippees for baby and the folks, and MiniMitts for the older sibling!

Win it! We’re giving TWO winners a set of both Grippees and MiniMitts! To enter, leave a comment on this post before noon mst on November 20, 2008.

Whether you’re still in the space of packing everything but the kitchen sink every time you leave the house or you’ve moved on to the days of trying to remember a diaper & a few wipes, you’re going to love the Diaper Change Travel Kit from well-known baby & child manufacturer, Munchkin.

No matter where you are, you can have a comfortable, clean surface to change your baby. The design is truly awesome and I leave mine in my vehicle so I’m never without the necessities. (As long as I remember to restock it!) There’s a zippered outside pocket for storing your personal items and interior mesh pockets hold diapers, wipes (it comes with the case) and other essentials. The changing pad detaches easily for separate use, though I’ve never had a need to do so, and there’s a cushioned pillow for baby’s comfort. The carry strap attaches to any stroller or, in my case, the handle on the back of a vehicle seat. It comes in three colours - tan, pink and black.

Win it! We’ve got a Munchkin Diaper Change Travel Kit in black to give away to one randomly selected reader. To enter browse the Munchkin products and comment on this post with at least one of your faves (not including the Diaper Change Travel Kit, natch) before noon mst on November 13, 2008.

You know that few minutes after you have removed a dirty diaper and cleaned baby off with a wipe or damp cloth of some kind - when covering them up again puts them at risk of discomfort and rash? I generally sit and blow them dry. There has to be an easier and faster way.

Bummas, a new line of super soft and supple baby cloths, were invented by parents Casey and Randy Schwartz who were in the same situation - not wanting to rediaper a wet child and not wanting to blow until they were blue in the face. Bummas are naturally hypoallergenic and antimicrobial and can be used two ways to help treat and prevent diaper rashes. In place of disposable and chemical laden whipes, you can wet a Bumma with water and wipe. No chemicals - no irritation. You can also use them to pat baby’s bottom dry. Dryness is key to preventing diaper rash. As an added bonus, Bummas can also be used to stop those surprise squirts during diaper changes, on top for a boy and underneath for a girl. One Bummas will absorb an entire pee.

Bummas retail for $16.99 for a package of 10.

Win it! A randomly selected winner will receive a ten pack of Bummas in their choice of colour scheme. To enter, visit the Bummas site and choose your pack. Come back and leave a comment letting us know which one to send you should you win. Contest closes at noon mst on October 30, 2008.

Additional entries available - up to four per person. See contest entry information and rules.

CONTEST CLOSED & WINNER EMAILED - Congrats to #19, Naomi!

As much as we like birth to be all about the mama, it really is all about the baby. We do all of the work, but they’re cute enough to negate most of it.

Once you’re resigned to the fact that it’s baby who’s going to get most of the attention, you’ll fall in love with the adorable products at All About Baby. Founded by par.entrepreneur Nancy Wurtzel in 1994, All About Baby specializes in high-quality, distinctive keepsakes for babies and children. While we’re not huge fans of the typical keepsake around here, the four piece gift case is something we’d all love to receive. Completely devoid of the type of keepsake that collects dust for a few years before it’s tossed in a box for the next twenty, this case is not only adorable but completely functional. The funky green case is made of fiberboard and is fab for storing toys or special items at home or on the go. It contains a hooded towel for baby, a toddler-size bib in coordinating colors, a soft white cotton washcloth and a cute yellow rubber ducky. The contents are available in four bright shades of pink or blue and the towel can be personalized with up to ten letters. At just $59.95 it’s a perfect baby gift for anyone and it’s a totally cute alternative to your traditional gift basket.

Win it! We’ve got a hooded towel in the blue bubbles pattern to give away. ($29.95 value & pictured @ left.) To enter, visit the All About Baby shop and come back here to comment with your favourite item or two that are NOT mentioned in this review. Contest closes at noon MST on August 1, 2008. (Holy crap! Is it really just one week until August?)

Additional entries available - up to four per person. See contest entry information and rules.

CONTEST CLOSED & WINNER EMAILED

I love my diaper bag, but it isn’t always convenient to bring it everywhere. And even when I have it it’s not always easy to dig to the bottom to find the puny little change pad that came with it. At Butt-Ums Up Baby, there’s a great solution to both of those issues. Their changing pads have several advantages over the typical ones.

1. They’re the longest I’ve ever seen. Even my 22 month old fits on it easily.
2. There’s a pocket at the top end that easily holds a wipes case (included) and a couple of diapers. It’s not zippered, so it’ easy to get the things you need with only one hand while the other hand holds down the poop covered child that’s trying to escape.
3. It rolls up into a compact package and secures with velcro.
4. That same velcro makes it easy to open with one hand. while you’re holding the above mentioned poop covered child with the other.
5. There’s a buckled loop attached at one side that makes it easy to clip it to a stroller or purse.
6. They come in your choice of twelve gorgeous chenille fabrics and are all lined with vinyl.
7. They’re all machine washable and dryer safe.

Entrepreneurial mom Stacy Sager is the talent behind Butt-Ums Up Baby and she also makes gorgeous matching blankets in the same luxurious soft chenille fabric with silky satin trim and binding.

The change pads retail for $40 and the blankets range from $25-$108.

Win a Butt-Ums Up Changing Pad in your choice of fabric! To enter, leave a comment on this post stating which of the twelve fabrics is your favourite. The randomly selected winner will be contacted via email for their mailing address and will have 48 hours to reply before an alternate winner is chosen. You must leave a valid email address and all required information or you will not be entered in the draw. Comment approval is always at our discretion. Contest closes March 11, 2008.

Get an additional entry into this contest by blogging about it!

1. Blog about this contest using one of the top three images found here.

2. Leave a comment on this post (in a separate comment from your other entry) or send a trackback to receive your second entry.

Congratulations to Mary @ Adventures in Mommyland who said “I love the pink mod dots print. Thanks for the awesome giveaway!”

With a newborn in my house again, I’m reminded daily of the precious soft skin that we’re nurturing (we hope) when we purchase bathing products.

I’ve recently discovered another great online shop that caters to those of us who want not only to nurture our children but also the earth. Bamboosa makes one of the softest and most absorbent hooded towels I’ve had the pleasure of using.

They’re 30″x30″ - large enough for a toddler - and are made of 80% bamboo and 20% recycled polyester. The ‘purely natural’ colour, which is my personal fave, contains absolutely no dye. As with all of their baby products, it’s made in America in a sweatshop free plant.

Enter the code TOP10 for 10% off any Bamboosa order.
You’ll find Bamboosa in the TOP Shops, where we feature exclusive discount codes just for opinionated parents.

Win It! We’ve got a BambooBaby Gift Set 3 in your choice of colour up for grabs! To enter the random draw, email theopinionatedparent@gmail.com with Bamboosa in the subject line before midnight MST on 2/15/08 and tell us the names of all three available colour choices for this set AND the colour that you’d choose if you are the winner. To be valid, entries must include that information as well as your full name and mailing address. Feel free to include a blog link if you’d like us to link you if you win. See below for more information. Winners are notified via email and first names are published with the post unless you ask us not to do so. Good luck!

AND…for the first time ever, you can get an additional entry into this contest by blogging about it!

1. Blog about this contest in it’s own post or within another post using one of the top three images found here.

2. Email your link (in a separate email from your other entry) to theopinionatedparent@gmail.com with Bamboosa in the subject line.

Congratulations Naomi!

Those Aussies know what they’re talking about when it comes to skin care. If they didn’t, they’d all be wrinkled cancerous lumps instead of the unusually gorgeous sub-species that they are. So it makes sense to turn to them for baby skin care ideas, no? The well known Mei Mei line from Australia has now been brought to North America and we’re pleased to introduce you to Mei Mei Baby USA.

Sixty percent of what we put on our baby’s skin is absorbed into the body, and parents everywhere are becoming more conscious of what they put on their children’s skin. Mei Mei Baby (pronounced “May May” - just like the sound that sheep make) offers a range of head-to-toe baby products that is all natural, safe, and free of petrochemicals, parabens, and sodium lauryl sulfates. Their products are 100% made in Australia. That means no lead either!

We tried samples of their line and were very impressed with the quality. The samples were tiny, but in those quantities showed no sign of irritating either newborn baby or toddler skin.

Check out Mei Mei Baby USA for the complete line which should be available early 2008 - that’s right away!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!

The Caboose travel potty from Bonaco Products is my newest travel companion. My 20 month old son has recently entered the process of self-directed potty learning. Sometimes he goes once a day, sometimes it’s ten times, and we never know when or where it’s going to be. I love that he asks to go once in a while and I don’t want to be that mom that just says “Go in your diaper” when we’re out and about. It seems completely counter intuitive to me, but what do you do when you’re on the highway with nary a washroom in sight and a kid that’s too young to ‘get’ peeing in the ditch?

Well, you get the Caboose!

The Caboose is extremely easy to use and requires nothing other than itself and the diapers you have anyway. Invented by industrious American stay at home mom Suzy Smithson and produced right in her native USA (not China!), it consists of two hard plastic clam shells that fit together with any size and brand of disposable diaper tucked strategically under the rails.

The cleanup couldn’t be easier - just wipe, drop the wipe in the diaper, fold up the diaper and throw it away. I like to pre-load mine after cleaning so it’s all ready for the next time. So much better than some other models I’ve seen that use a transparent zip-lock bag which you then zip up and carry around until you find a garbage. Ew.

Another inspiring story of a mom with a vision who follows it through and makes the lives of other parents easier. I love it!

Win a Caboose for your cutie patootie! To enter the random draw, email theopinionatedparent@gmail.com with CABOOSE in the subject line by midnight MST on 12/31/07 and tell us the retail price when you order it from their website. Please include your full name and mailing address with your entry, and a blog link if applicable so we can link you up if you win. Entries without a mailing address are invalid. (Please note that these are deleted after the draws and are never sold or given to anyone.) Congratulations to Jaime R.!

We’re entering the very beginning of toilet awareness so are on the hunt for great potties to leave scattered around the house. The favourite, by far, is the Potty Bench from Boon. It’s a dual doody duty potty with more features than any I’ve seen and it doesn’t take up much more space than any others we’ve tried. It weighs 5 lbs and is about 19″ wide, 13″ deep and 7″ high. It has two side compartments, one completely open for wipes, spare underoos, reading material, toys or whatever else you need nearby and the other has a toilet paper holder and some extra space as well. When closed, the lid becomes a bench or step stool capable of supporting up to 300 lbs. Perfect for parents to sit on at bath time and for kids to use for the extra lift to the sink or into a tall tub.

While we’re not actually “training” yet, we leave potties around and our son plays with them, sits on them and says “Poopoo!” and is getting the general idea. A few days ago we had our first (accidental, but still exciting) pee on the potty and I very much appreciated two of the many great features of the Boon Potty Bench. The deflector that we call “the penis guard” kept the pee in the potty and off of the bathroom floor and walls, and the pull out drawer took just seconds to clean and slide back in and was not gross in the least.

My son’s friends will all be starting their own potty training adventures in the next few months and I will be wholeheartedly recommending the Boon Potty Bench to them over all others. And? It’s so pretty!

You can buy it direct from Boon for $34.99. Canadian retailers looking to carry Boon products can contact the great folks at 5514km.

Win it! Email theopinionatedparent@gmail.com before midnight tonight with Potty Bench in the subject line and tell us what percentage of Boon’s profits are donated to charity.Congratulations Carmella!

When bath time becomes more work than fun, it’s time to pull out the big guns to get the kid(s) clean. The Squeaky Clean Bathtub Dice from Moms On Edge just might do the trick. They’ll help teach the parts of the body while helping to ensure all of those cute little parts are no longer covered in sticky kid goop. The dice 4 inches square and are made of nylon covered foam. Each side shows an image of one body part to clean along with the accompanying word.

All of the Moms On Edge products come with great vinyl zipper carrying cases - if you don’t reuse them for the items they come with they’re fabulous for lots of things - waterproof with sturdy handles and see through - I like to use my cases for pool toys, spare clothes in the vehicle and more. The stuff inside is better, but I got pretty excited about the great cases!

Want to enter to win some Squeaky Clean Bathtub Dice? Email theopinionatedparent@gmail.com with DICE in the subject line and tell us the recommended age range for this product. Contest closes Monday night at midnight MST. Congratulations Shonda C!