The winner of the Your Little Sweet Pea Giveaway is…Rozie H.  Congratulations Rozie!

I love the convenience of drink boxes and pouches but hate the mess. I always take a big swig before I give them to my son hoping to avoid a mess when he squeezes. Inevitably, I end up cleaning a sticky trail of juice leading from the kitchen over to the family room. Ugh!

Now with Dwink, the universal drink box holder, I don’t have to get on my hands and knees to clean up the juice trail anymore. I love that it so versatile. You can use it with small and large juice boxes, soy milk boxes and drink pouches. Dwink comes in bright, fun colors so kids think it is fun to use and the handles make it easy for little hands to hold on to. Best of all it sells for under $5.00 at www.mydwinkbox.com.

Bibs really are a fantastic invention. Without them you would have to constantly change your baby’s top all day long. Although a bib really is a necessity for drooling babies, have you ever worried whether its really safe snapped or tied around your baby’s neck? I know I did and so did Molly of Bibs and Match. She worried about her babies sleeping with their bibs on. But like most other moms I know, she didn’t want to wake her sleeping babies to take their bibs off when they fell asleep. Could they be strangled by the bib tied around their neck or suffocated if it flipped up on their face? These worries led her to design adorable onsies and matching bibs that snap on to keep your baby safe.

The onsies and bibs are made of 100% cotton and are super soft to the touch and since safety is the number one concern, all the dyes used are non-toxic. The bibs snap right on the onsie at the neck, so it’s like the bib is part of the shirt, meaning no more worries about strangualtion. The sides of the bib snap to the shirt so it won’t flip up in baby’s face, either. And since they don’t tie or velcro around the neck, they’re more comfortable for baby; nothing rubbing baby’s neck or trapping all that drool right under baby’s chin which can be very irritating. Currently the onsies and bibs are available with cute little monsters on them, which would be great for boys and girls, alike. Best of all, these bibs don’t cover your baby’s cute outfit. The design on the bib completely lines up with the design on the shirt so it blends in with the design or if you choose a coordinating bib, it give the shirt an all new look.

Win it! Thanks to Bibs and Match, we’ve got a 3 piece set in size 6-9 months to give away (just like the set pictured above). There’s also a matching pacifier holder that attaches using the side snaps. To win, visit Bibs and Match and have a look around. Comeback here and leave a comment telling me your favorite feature of the bibs and onsies they sell by Midnight on August 19th. You can get an extra entry if you subscribe to our email newsletter (be sure to submit an extra comment to let me know you’re a new subscriber). Make sure you leave your email address so we can contact you if you’re the lucky winner. The winner will be chosen randomly and contacted by email. The prize will only be shipped to US addresses. Good luck!

You’ve gotta visit Your Little Sweet Pea if you are thinking of decorating a nursery or child’s room. They carry a huge selection of baby and children’s bedding for both boys and girls.

Your Little Sweet Pea started as an professional interior design company so they “strive to keep the themes and styles of bedding and accessories up to date with the lastest trends and choose styles that are timeless.” In addition to bedding, they offer anything else you can think of to help decorate your child’s room from comfy overstuffed chairs and matching wall frames to fabric storage bins. There is no need to look anywhere else when searching for the perfect items to fill your room.

And if you need any help designing your room, Your Little Sweet Pea can do that too. All you have to do is let them know what you like and what you want in your room. A professional interior designer will do everything for you from planning the layout and furniture placement right down to choosing the paint colors for your new room.

Their prices are very affordable and are 10% off MSRP but you can use code FIVEOFF to get $5 of any purchase of $35 or more to save even more.

Win it! Your Little Sweet Pea is giving away a cute little dress and shirt to a lucky winner. Both dress and shirt are cotton and sized 18-24 months.

To win, just visit Your Little Sweet Pea and browse around their site. Come back and leave me a comment telling me your favorite item. Please leave your comment before midnight on August 14th. I will choose the winner Friday August 15th. Open only to people with a US mailing address. Good Luck.

Congratulations to Dawn! She is the winner of the Baby Signs Potty Training Kit.

When it’s hot outside, there’s no better cool treat than a popsicle. Every afternoon, my son and I indulge on one (maybe two!) of these frozen treats. But OH, what a mess! By the time we’re done, there’s melted popsicle all over my son’s face, hands, shirt, shorts, the chair and the deck! But not anymore!

The Dripstik was invented by a mom to keep the mess off your littles one. It was designed to hold a popsicle and catch the mess all the while keeping your child drip free. It’s double sided, so you can flip it over and use it to hold an ice cream cone. I love that the dripstik is dishwasher safe and stands all by itself on a flat surface so now I don’t get stuck holding a melting popsicle when my son runs off to chase away every bug he sees.

I tried it out on my two year son. He loves the Dripstik and asks for it every time we have a popsicle. The only problem we had was when he tipped the Dripstik over on himself, which he did the first time he used it. He was almost done with his popsicle (with no drips on hands or clothing!) and then he tipped it over right on his shirt and shorts. Well, he is only two! Once he figured out not to do that, we’ve had lots of drip-free popsicle sessions since and yes, we now even have popsicles inside!

Dripstiks come in lots of cool colors and sell for only $5.99. Visit Dripstik to order yours.

Samantha D is the winner of the Pineas and Ferb DVD. Enjoy it!

I love Etsy! You can find anything you’re looking for and tons more you didn’t expect to find. My favorite Etsy store right now is Frank and Me. Everything at Frank and Me is handmade by Lauren (Frank’s mom) with one goal, it has to please Frank. The blankets and little swipers have to be soft enough, the boo boo packs comforting enough, and the blankie capes fun enough to make Frank (and your child) happy.

Everything at Frank and Me is made with the softest materials. We got the blankie cape and I was immediately impressed. This really could be baby’s favorite blankie turned into a cool cape for play. It has soft minky on one side and a soft patterned flannel on the other. My favorite part is the unique closure. One side tucks in the other so it will come off easily and quickly if it gets caught or pulled. Little Bug was so thrilled with his cape, he didn’t take it off for the first few days and wore it every where we went. We’ve also played super hero almost everyday, since. I’m always “the bad robot” and of course he is always the super hero chasing me and yelling “gotcha bad robot!” The cape really sparks his imagination and helps him get into character and makes role playing so much fun!

Be sure to check out all the other great products at Frank and Me like the Burp Monsters. These adorable little monsters make great burp cloths but are cute enough and soft enough to be baby’s favorite lovey. Order from Frank and Me during the month of August and you’ll get free shipping in the US or $5.00 of international shipping with the code totsmag.

Children can begin potty training at the age of 12 months all the way up to 4 years. That’s a huge range! How do you know when it’s the right time to start working with your child? Well, you need to watch for certain signs like emotional readiness and the ability to control bladder and bowels, to recognize the need to go, and to communicate the need to go.

Studies have shown there are many benefits to signing with your baby. As young as 9 months old, a baby often knows what she wants but can’t communicate it to mommy and daddy causing lots of frustration on both sides. By teaching your baby very simple signs like eat and drink, she can easily tell you what she wants, long before she can talk, reducing frustration and raising self-esteem and self-confidence.

Baby Signs is leading the efforts to help parents sign with their babies and now they have come up with the Potty Training Kit to help you potty train your baby at an earlier age. Many children are ready to potty train as early as 18 months but just aren’t able to communicate well enough to make potty training a success. That’s where the Baby Signs Potty Training Kit comes in. Each kit includes a book for mom and dad to help guide you through the potty training process and has diagrams of signs you can teach to your baby. There’s also a DVD for baby to watch to teach her 5 potty signs and introduce her to potty training, a lift-the-flap book for baby to read, and stickers to help reinforce what a great job baby is doing. The kit has a cute potty train theme all children will love so it comes with a wooden train whistle for baby to blow when she needs to go potty or successfully goes on the potty! This kit is sure to make potty training your youngster easy and fun!

Win it! Win your own potty training kit. Visit Baby Signs and check out all their great products. Comeback and leave me a comment about your favorite product. Be sure to leave your email so I can contact you if you are the winner. This giveaway will end August 5th at midnight. I will email the winner on August 6th. This giveaway is open to people with mailing addresses in the US and Canada only. Good luck!

The perfect diaper bag is hard to find. For me, functionality is the biggest must but coming in a close second is style. Just because I’m a mom, I don’t want to give up my cute and trendy bags for a frumpy, functional diaper bag. That’s where Jenny Norene Design comes in.

The Sport Utility Bag from Jenny Norene Design is practical yet chic. The bag measures 18” wide x 11” high x 5” so it’s roomy interior will hold everything you need for any outing. With seven interior pockets, two exterior bottle pockets, and a large outer pocket that zips for those items you want to keep in easy reach, there really is a spot for everything. I really like that the interior pockets are made of mesh so you’ll be able to easily and quickly find anything you are looking for. And for the most important items, your keys and paci, there’s an interior key chain/pacifier clip. The Jenny Norene Sport Utility Bag zips closed so when you need to stash your it, everything will stay put.

The interior is water resistant and can be easily wiped clean . To keep your bag looking great, the bottom is now made with a water and stain resistant trim. For diaper changes on the go, you’ll get a coordinating machine washable nylon changing pad with a velcro closure.

Tots Magazine readers can get 15% off their purchase at Jenny Norene Design with code tots15 (expires Sept 15, 2008).

This is my first ever Bloggy Giveaway Carnival and I’ve decided to giveaway the new Phineas and Ferb DVD. Actually, it’s so new, it hasn’t been released yet! But Tuesday morning, I’ll be headed to Target to get two copies, one to keep and one for the lucky person who wins this giveaway.

If you’ve never seen Disney Channel’s Phineas and Ferb, you’re missing some good family fun. It’s summer vacation and Phineas and Ferb, two stepbrothers, come up with all kinds of outrageous activities to keep them busy like building a rollercoaster or becoming one hit wonders in a day. Their antics drive their sister, Candace, crazy and she spends her summer trying to bust them but something always happens to clean up all the evidence just before Mom arrives. Then there’s Perry, the family’s pet platypus, who’s secret identity is a secret agent. Perry always manages to thwart the plans of his evil nemesis, Dr. Doofenshmirtz, but in doing so also manages to unwittingly remove any evidence of the boys’ daily adventures.

This series is great for kids and adults alike. Lots of fun for the kids and some humor that will go right over their heads that only the adults will get (like references to things that happened in the “90s). I usually don’t mind the kids shows on TV but this is one I really like and look forward to when it comes on.

Win it!!! Leave only one comment below before 8:00 am eastern time on Friday July 1. Be sure to leave your email address so I can contact you if you are the winner. The winner will be randomly chosen and announced on Friday, Aug. 1. I will only ship to US addresses. Thanks for visiting.

I’ve been MIA the past few days because I’ve been potty training my son. We’ve been trying to potty train on and off for a year now with no luck. Little Bug has shown zero interest and gets down right upset when the word potty is mentioned. But with preschool looming right around the corner and the mandatory requirement that he be potty trained (or at least making good progress at it), I stepped up my efforts to get him going on the potty. My last ditch effort was to take up the rug, put a thick comforter on the couch and just let him go diaperless! Of course, I had to keep a very watchful eye (so not much time for blogging). But, so far, it seems to have paid off. He started off with three accidents on the floor but they were easily cleaned. The fourth time he had to go, he sat on the potty all on his own, started going and then called for me to see! He and I both were so excited and proud! He seems to have figured it out! Only two accidents in the past two days!

But now that he is a big boy and no longer in his diapers, I am faced with all new worries and have to say it was so much easier when he was in diapers. I need to remember to remind him to go potty and when we go out I need to worry about things like always figuring out where the closest restroom is and how to protect him from all the germs on the toilet in public restrooms. Yuck! And it not just his bottom I am worried about but his hands, too, because like lots of other kids he needs to hold on to the seat to keep from falling in. That’s were Green and Clean Potty Covers come in. Unlike other potty covers, the Green and Clean potty covers really are oversized so they completely cover the toilet seat and then some to protect both bottoms and hands. They are also nice and thick, unlike those skimpy, thin covers you find in public restrooms. They have adhesive strips to hold them in place so they won’t slip off when you put them on. They don’t have a plastic layer on them like other brands, so you may need to wipe the seat if the person before you sprinkled when they tinkled. But since there’s not plastic you don’t have to feel guilty about using a disposal cover and harming the environment since they are made of 100% cotton and will be quickly degraded.

Stock up since you’ll be using lots and lots. They are just $6.95 for 10 at One Step Ahead.

The winner of the Bugaboo Announcements gift certificate is Debra F. Congrats Debra!

Bunny B. Congrats. I know you’ll be thrilled with your Frecklebox book.

By the way, the people over at Frecklebox were so thrilled with all the wonderful comments Tots Magazine readers left, they are offering a 15% discount on all products until 7/31. Enter the code totsmag in the shopping cart to get your discount. Order now and get a head start on your holiday shopping!

When I was contacted recently by ABC Gift Boutique to review their potty training diaper cakes, I was quite intrigued. I’ve seen lots of beautiful diaper cakes but I’d never heard of a potty training diaper cake. I must say, I was quite impressed.

The potty training diaper cakes include everything you need to get your toddler started potty training including diapers, toilet paper, Pull-Ups, big boy underwear and a box of Kandoo wipes. At the bottom is a book about potty training to help introduce the potty training concept to your child. To top it all off, the cake topper is a toy for your toddler to receive once she has reached her potty training goal. A list of potty training resources for mom and dad is also included. You can get the potty training diaper cakes with some of your favorite characters on them, including Lightening McQueen (Cars), Dora the Explorer, Go, Diego Go, and in a princess theme.

We all know that potty training can be a trying experience for for both toddler and parents so many parents give a gift to encourage potty training. A potty training cake would make an excellent gift from mom and dad (or grandma and grandpa, for that matter) to get your toddler excited about the potty training process. Just think how surprised your toddler would be to receive this!

Visit ABC Gift Boutique to see their potty training diaper cakes. Be sure to mention that you heard about ABC Gift Boutique here at Tots Magazine to get 5% off your order through December 31, 2008.

Miranda won the free pack of SafetyTats. Congrats!

The winner of the TOMtotes tampon or pad pack is Vicki B! Congrats Vicki.

For our last giveaway this week, I’ve got something for you from Bugaboo Announcements (my other site)! If you are looking for unforgettable custom photo birth announcements, invitations or holiday cards, well, we’ve got what you’re looking for. And if you don’t see a design that completely matches what you have in mind then we’ll design something just for you.

We offer photo cards in three sizes, 4×6, 5×5 and 5×7 all of which are affordably priced. Our photo cards are professionally printed on the highest quality photo paper so you can be assured your family and friends will cherish them for years to come. You can also choose to have your cards printed on heavy cardstock and even have a matching design printed on the backside.

What ever your style is Bugaboo Announcements can work with you to find that perfect card for your special occasion. And we’ll send you proofs using your photos at no charge so you know exactly what your card will look like when you finalize your order.

Win it! We are giving away a $50.00 gift certificate to Bugaboo Announcements.

2 ways to enter

1. Visit Bugaboo Announcements and them come back and leave a comment telling me your favorite design

2. Sign up for our email newsletter (be sure to leave a comment letting me know your a new subscriber so I can enter you twice for the giveaway).

Contest ends July 24th at midnight. Open to US residents. The winner will be notified by email on July 25th. Good luck!

I have an awesome giveaway today! I recently reviewed a personalized name book from Frecklebox which my son and I absolutely loved, er, still love! (Click here to read the review). The My Name is… personalized book isn’t like other name books that just include your child’s name in the story, your child’s name is actually spelled out in each of the beautiful photos. For example, on one page lady bugs spell his/her name and on another page its spelled out by stars in the night sky. This book is so well done! Frecklebox has two other personalized name books as well, Hiphop Howie and his pal, in which your child becomes the main character of this book full of rhymes and …goes to the zoo, which is about a trip to the zoo and includes wonderful photos of zoo animals with you child’s name hidden in the in the photo for them to find. Frecklebox creates lots of other personalized products, too, including their new coloring book, Color Me… Each page has a fun design and your childs name to color.

Win it! Frecklebox is generously giving away one hard cover book of your choice and one coloring book. To win, visit Frecklebox and have a look around. Comeback here and leave a comment telling me your favorite Frecklebox item by Midnight on July 23rd. Make sure you leave your email address so we can contact you if you’re the lucky winner. The winner will be chosen randomly and contacted by email on July 24th. Good luck!

In case you didn’t know, the newest Backyardigans DVD, The Backyardigans: Mighty Match-Up!, was released last week. Its just as good as the other Backyardigans DVDs with four entertaining stories and lots of fun music. My son and I have watched it so many times that I could probably recite it word for word already! The episodes on this DVD are: Match on Mt. Olympus, The Great Dolphin Race, Ranch Hands From Outer Space and Caveman’s Best Friend.

Win it! In case you haven’t rushed out to buy this DVD for your child yet, I’m giving you a chance to get it for free! All you have to do is subscribe to our email newsletter by Midnight on July 23, 2008. If you’ve already subscribed, well, then you’re already entered. We’ll pick a random winner and notify the winner by email. Open to US residents.

Note: You must subscribe to our email newsletter (upper right corner) to enter. Leaving a comment will not get you entered.