patemm® pad WINNER!

Congratulations to Katie! You have won a patemm® pad! Thank you to everyone who entered.  If you didn't win you can still take advantage of the 20% discount exclusively for A Mommy in the City readers.  Just use coupon code "MOMMY" at check out.  The offer will expire on January 15, 2011.

Thank you to Grace, the founder of patemm®, for providing this amazing changing pad for the giveaway! 

Maclaren Junior Quest Activity Center: Final Thoughts

While packing for our trip to Charlotte for Christmas I knew we weren't going to bring many toys.  Santa and our family were giving her so many toys for Christmas, I knew there was no point in loading the car with all of our toys from home.  The one exception to my rule was the Maclaren Junior Quest Activity Center.  It's become a toy Harlan doesn't want to leave home without.

We have had it for about a month now and Harlan continues to play with it everyday.  Her favorite, by far, is the stroller.  She has put every one of her dolls in it for a stroll and has even attempted to put the dogs in. If the dogs won't cooperate with her, she will then insist on chasing them around the house with it.  An activity that is always full of laughs.  

She even enjoyed being pushed around the house in it.  This scared me at first because I didn't think that it would hold her, but it seemed to hold up strong and support her well.

One of my favorite things about the product is that it really promotes imagination.  Harlan has loved to get her dolls and put them in the rocker or the cot and talk to them.  I don't understand what she is saying half the time, but I do know that she is being creative and recognizes how to play pretend.  It is such an amazing thing to watch.

Thank you Maclaren for giving us this opportunity.  It has been wonderful to watch Harlan grow with your Junior Quest Activity Center. We have really enjoyed this experience.

 Make sure to "Like" Maclaren on Facebook and follow them on twitter.  

Disclaimer: A Mommy in the City was not compensated in any way for this post.  I received the product for review.  All opinions expressed are my own.

A Better Way to Change

 Anyone who has changed a squirmy baby knows that you must do whatever you can to entertain them for that quick second just to keep them on the changing station.  I keep a basket of toys handy on my changing station to keep Harlan distracted and from wanting to roll off.  I have even gone as far as ditching the changing station all together and change her on the bed or on the floor.

Recently, while attending a Big City Moms holiday event, I was introduced to Grace Welch, founder of patemm® pad. These revolutionary changing pads are designed for the squirmiest of babies.  The patemm® pad has a round design so that it will allow you to lay your baby down in any direction.

Grace designed patemm® pads based on her own experiences of the difficulty of changing a squirmy baby on the traditional rectangular shaped changing pads.  Her design solved her problem and she knew it would solve the problems of many other moms.

All patemm® pads are 30 inches and have four handles that allow you to fold an unfold with one hand.  This was one of the things that I loved about this changing pad.  Many times I am holding Harlan in one hand and everything else in the other hand.  I was easily able to unfold this and put Harlan down.

Another great feature is that the inside of the pad is lined with tons of pockets for diapers, wipes, cream, and anything you need during a diaper change.

I was very surprised how much Harlan enjoyed getting her diaper changed while on this pad.  I am always having to find things to entertain her while changing her diaper, but not on this pad.  She actually enjoyed it {as much as a baby can enjoy getting their diaper changed.}  I think it was the size of the pad that helped with this.  She had plenty of room to move around on it and did not feel cramped like she does on the traditional rectangular ones.  

The patemm® pad we received is CPSIA-certified laminated cotton and is waterproof.  They are PVC, LEAD, PHTHALATE, LATEX, BPA, AND FORMALDEHYDE-FREE. The laminated pad made it super easy to wipe clean and they are even machine washable for that really big messes.

Once you are finished changing you can easily fold the pad back up {one handed} and it turns into a compact carrier.  Perfect for those short trips that don't require a full diaper bag.

This changing pad is definitely one that I will have on hand for a long time and is one that I will recommend to all of my mommy friends.  The durability and design make it a must have for any mom.  

Patemm® has generously given me an extra patemm® pad to give away to one of my readers.  One reader will receive one of their limited edition prints: East Coast Momma in Black, Chartreuse or Amazon.  

They have also generously offered a 20% discount exclusively for A Mommy in the City readers.  Just use coupon code "MOMMY" at check out.  The offer will expire on January 15, 2011.

TO WIN (Open to US Residents only):

Mandatory Entry:  Email customerservice@patemm.com and tell them which changing pad you would like to win.  Then come back here and leave a comment telling me you did.  

FOR EXTRA ENTRIES:

"Like"  patemm® pad on Facebook and leave a comment here on the blog that you did. (1 entry)

"Like" A Mommy in the City on Facebook and leave a comment here on the blog that you did.  (1 entry)

Follow patemm® pad on Twitter and leave a comment here on the blog that you did.  (1 entry)

Follow A Mommy in the City on Twitter and leave a comment here on the blog that you did. (1 entry)

You can tweet about the contest using the following phrase and leave a comment here on the blog that you did.  You can tweet the phrase once per day.  "I've entered to win the a patemm® pad from @amommyinthecity.  http://bit.ly/ef7HEV Ends 1/12 #Giveaway"

Subscribe to my RSS Feed and leave a comment here on the blog that you did (1 entry)

Become a friend on Google Friend connect (on the right on the page) and leave a comment here on the blog that you did.  (1 entry)

Giveaway ends on 1/11 and I will choose the winner via Random.org. 

Good luck!

Disclaimer: A Mommy in the City was not compensated in any way for this post.  I received the product for review.  All opinions expressed are my own.

The Maclaren Junior Quest Activity Center Continues to be a Hit!

Last week we were introduced to the Maclaren Junior Quest Activity Center.  Harlan was lucky enough to get picked to try it out and she is still LOVING it.  I was telling MacKay the other night that I have never seen her consistently play with a toy as much as she is playing with this.  It's quite amazing actually.

Her favorite part of the center is the stroller.  She will put anything and everything in that seat and push it around the apartment.  One of her favorite things to do is put her doll in it and head towards the door to tell us "bye!"  She is still having a little bit of a hard time not realizing that the cot isn't for her to sit in.  She loves to climb in it and sit in it to watch TV.  It is very durable, though, because she has turned that thing every which way to try to climb on it and it has held up!

One thing that I am loving about this toys is the fact that it is super easy to clean up.  The stroller folds up very easily and the rockers lays flat. Having something this compact and easy to put away is a must for us living in this small apartment. At the end of the day when Harlan is in bed I have folded everything up and set it inside the cot. 

Harlan had  her friend, Dylan, come over for a play date last week and the stroller was the first thing that he went to when he came in {It's a hit with both boys and girls!} In fact, it was the one toy that Harlan and him fought over the entire time.  I ended up having to fold it up and put it away so that they wouldn't fight over it. 

We have loved our week with this toy and I am so glad that Harlan is being as creative as she is with it.  It's showing me a side of her that  I haven't seen before. 

Stay tuned throughout the month of December for more of our great experiences with Maclaren toy! Don't forget you still have a chance to WIN this great product!! Check out my first post for details!

Disclaimer: A Mommy in the City was not compensated in any way for this post. I received the product for review. All opinions expressed are my own.

A Bow for my Bald Baby!

I have always been envious of babies with heads full of hair.  When Harlan was younger I was able to clip bows to headbands and put them on her head, but I was always at a loss to find anything that would clip into her little wisps of hair.  I have so many bows that were given to me as baby shower gifts and that I bought myself, but none of them would ever stay in.  I tried everything I could, and even went as far as looking for baby bow tape to stick it on her head.

I was so excited when I found Kula Klips that I wanted to share it with you guys.  They make these adorable little bows called Snap Klips that are made specifically for babies with very little hair. I was a little skeptical when I got them because nothing has ever worked in her hair and I have been on the hunt for a while, but they worked in her hair and stayed in! 

Harlan loves wearing them and doesn't get mistaken for a boy when she has them in!  I am excited to order more for her now that I know they work. 

Disclaimer: A Mommy in the City was not compensated for in any way for this post.  I did receive the products for review.  All opinions expressed are my own.

Maclaren Junior Quest Activity Center Review and GIVEAWAY!

Growing up one of my favorite things to do was play with baby dolls.  I would pretend like I was their mom and and feed them and take care of them.  I've noticed lately that Harlan is starting to play a lot more with her baby dolls and stuffed animals.  She was even trying to feed her toy dog real dog food this past weekend.  One of her favorite things to do is let me hold her and she will try and push her stroller around the apartment.  It's not a very fun game for me to play and it makes me have to hide the strollers in her closet as soon as we get home. 

I was very excited when Maclaren, the fabulous stroller company, contacted me to be one of their Kid Testers of their Junior Quest Activity Center.  The set comes with a cute kiddie sized stroller, daytime rocker, night time cot with carrying case and travel bag. When the set arrived at our apartment I let Harlan take a look at the box to see what she was getting.  Her eyes widened as she looked at all of the fun things she was about to get to play with.  She just kept saying, "woah, woah, woah."

 She was even more excited when I opened the box and started to bring everything out for her to play with.  Her first find was the stroller (of course.)  She immediately went to her bedroom to get her baby and put it in the stroller and kept walking up and down the hallway. 

I showed her the rocker and the first thing she tried to do was put herself in it.  I had to immediately try and show her that this was a toy for her dolls and not for herself.  The set is recommended for children 3 and up, but she is still enjoying playing with it.  After a little convincing she put Foofa in the rocker for a ride and kept laughing at how funny it was. 

The little night time cot is so cute.  She tried to get in that one too.  But she got the hint pretty quickly that it was for play and not for her.  Foofa took a little nap in there.

 One thing that really surprised and impressed me about this set is how unbelievable easy it is to put together.  It took me only about 10 minutes to get everything together and I didn't have to look at the instructions.  Everything was pretty self explanatory.  A major plus!

Over the next couple weeks I will give you some insights on the activity center and how Harlan enjoys playing with it.  I am also very excited that Maclaren has given me an extra Junior Quest Activity Center to giveaway to one of my readers!

TO WIN:

Visit  the Maclaren website and leave a comment telling me your favorite Maclaren toy or product.

FOR EXTRA ENTRIES:
Follow Maclaren on Twitter  and leave a comment that you did. (1 entry)

Follow A Mommy in the City on Twitter and leave a comment that you did. (1 entry)

You can tweet about the contest using the following phrase and leave a comment that you did.  You can tweet the phrase once per day.  "I've entered to win the @Maclarenna Junior Quest Actvity Center from @amommyinthecity http://bit.ly/dSIVTj.  Ends 12/20 #Giveaway"

"Like" Maclaren on Facebook and leave a comment that you did. (1 entry)

"Like" A Mommy in the City on Facebook and leave a comment that you did.  (1 entry)

Subscribe to my RSS Feed and leave a comment that you did (1 entry)

Become a friend on Google Friend connect (on the right on the page) and leave a comment that you did.  (1 entry)

Giveaway ends on 12/20 and I will choose the winner via Random.org. 

Good luck!

Disclaimer: A Mommy in the City was not compensated in any way for this post.  I received the product for review.  All opinions expressed are my own.