Incog-neato; Leak Proof Protectors

Incog-Neato Bed protectors soak up bedwetting accidents, so sheets stay dry. All you do is lay the leak proof bed protector over the sheet. When an "accident" happens, just take the Incog-Neato off the bed and toss it in the washing machine. Sheets stay dry, so there's no scrambling to find dry sheets in the middle of the night. And you don't have to make an issue with your already embarrassed child.

The fabric is a soft quilted flannel so your young child is cozy, and your older child doesn't feel like they're sleeping on plastic or some institutional looking protector. They also come in fun patterns or solid prints.

Incog-neatos have lots of uses. Put one anywhere a wet bottom might end up, whether it's from an accident, or a wet bathing suit. I've put mine in with a sick toddler when she was too young to tell me she was going to throw up. The Incog-Neato saved a lot of mess on the mattress and sheets. Supposedly they're great as dog beds too, though I haven't tried. But I have used mine for a changing pad and a baby mat. Incog-Neatos come in Big (19"x15" chair size), Bigger (32" x 34") and Really Big (36" x 42").

Give Away: Obuba Nursing Cover-Up

The Obuba wrap takes care of the only complaint I had about the traditional nursing cover--no coverage for the back!  I think we can all agree that your entire midsection is affected by the stretching for baby, so I am happy to have something to conceal that mess while my Tshirt is hiked up in feeding mode.  The Obuba provides complete coverage for nursing in public.  I have never even had a "close one."  It fits larger nursers, smaller nurses, and everyone in-between. 

Although I LOVE that it covers my back, I am just as impressed that I can multi-purpose it!  I cut down on the bulk of carrying multiple things for baby because I don't need to pack an extra blanket.  The Obuba can be a very soft, light stretch, machine washable, large cotton blanket.  It is definitely a nice material.

Other things I love about it: 

1) super cute colors and trims! 

2) I also love the removeable velcro strap (it buttons on-yay!) that allows you to wrap the Obuba super tight for conserving valuable diaper bag space.    

3) I own the red one and have found the dyes to be high quality with no bleeding when I machine wash it with regular detergent. 

I'm not sure why it's called Obuba (pronounced Oh-Boo-Bah), which doesn't seem much better than the lovely named "Hooter Hider."  Regardless, I am now a faithful follower.

Buy it at the Obuba official website, or save a little cash and buy what I think must be last year's clearance styles at their etsy shop.  Just keep in mind it would make a great baby shower gift for new moms who are trying to figure out nursing!

Who wants to find out how great the Obuba Wrap is for themselves?  Enter by leaving a comment with the color you would like for a chance to be our random winner on January 21st!  

Give Away: Boon Flo Tub Spout Protector

Do your kids own every room in your house?  Finally, a product that functions for kids, but doesn't look like it came from Toys R' Us.  

The Boon Flo stylishly and geniously replaces the blow-up, mildew-encouraging spout cover.  You barely have time for a shower.  Do you really want to be spending most of the time struggling to get the spout cover off and on so you can get to the shower diverter?  The Boon Flo literally takes two seconds for the initial placement, and you never have to move it after that, because you can easily reach the shower pull with the Flo in place.

So it's convenient for you, but it's also fun and functional for them!  The protective cushioned spout redirects the water to a place where the kids can reach it--like a waterfall!  If your little ones don't like baths because they get cold, or don't like to get water on their faces, this would be a fun way to help them feel more control in the tub.   

The Flo also has a bubble bath dispenser.  For me, that doesn't seem necessary since it's just as easy to squirt bubble bath into the running water as it is to try to fit it into the little hole.  

Another great thing about this is the price!  $14.99 for a product I really expected to cost more than that.  The blow-up faucet covers have a much shorter life, and they are around $5.  And this is available at many retailers, so many you'll wonder why you haven't seen it before!  

Con: Not all tub spouts are the same, so it may not fit yours.  I have both a spout with a shower diverter and one without.  I think if you have a shower diverter, it helps the Flo stay on a bit better.  The Boon Flo isn't super tight on my faucet that has no diverter, but it doesn't come off unless it is pulled on.  My kids are so busy enjoying the water coming out, they pay no attention to the cover itself anyway.

Who wants to win a Boon Flo?  Just leave a comment letting us know what type of spout cover this will replace!  Enter before midnight on Tuesday, December 9th to be eligible for random selection.  Keep in mind this would be a great baby shower gift that she is sure to not get more than one of!

Mommy's School Supplies

   

So I'm officially old. I don't feel older on my own birthdays, rather I feel the aging every time one of my kids blows out their candles, and every time they reach a new milestone. I'm developing a new wrinkle this week in preparation for my first day of school. That is, my first child's first day.

Although the preparation for it has been fun, I think I may be the only one crying on the first day (my little one would drive herself to school if she could). Anyway, to make the blow a little easier on myself, I've found what I can only call my "Mommy School Supplies." These would be things you won't find on the list from the school, but Mom feels so good to have! Enjoy back to school--for all of us!

Citrus Picks "Mommy School Supplies"

1. Boden Clothing

2. Munchler lunch bags

3. Mabel's Labels

4. Cupcake Courier

5. "Lice Free Zone" products

6. Cheryl & Co. 3 words for you: best. cookies. ever. Why make an after-school snack yourself when these taste soo-o good?

Nursing Covers by Bebe au Lait

Did you miss World Breastfeeding Week? So did I...and I'm always looking for an excuse to celebrate something with a little cake. It's just a small week in August to remind us what a big difference breastfeeding can make.

What better way to celebrate World Breastfeeding Week, than to find ways to make breastfeeding just a little easier. And a nursing cover is exactly that thing. The founders of Bebe au Lait are the genious' behind the nursing cover. Never heard of them? That's because they're the Hooter Hider in disguise.

Same great nursing cover product, different tag for the mom who's buying the product to cover up, not make a sign that advertises what's going on under there. Fear not, you can still buy an official "Hooter Hider" tagged nursing cover, if it fancies you.

Bebe au Lait runs about $35, which is around the same price of the competitors. However, they also have an organic line, which is a bit more at $50. I have the organic Bebe au Lait, and for some reason I expected it to be itchy. Not so. It's super soft and I like how the material lays where you put it (especially because placement is so key).

Do you want to make your own nursing cover? Check out the August edition of Utah Baby Guide, a free magazine which is available online in PDF form. They have a step by step tutorial, complete with pictures of every step, so it's great for a beginning project. I made my own so I could compare home-made to the Bebe au Lait. The results?

My comparison:

• When making my own, I was limited to the material available at the fabric store. I bought the only one I really liked, but it wasn't as nice of quality. You could order a fabric you really like, but then it ends up getting to be about the same price as just buying one. Fabric choice is key. Buy the wrong style and children everywhere will be asking their mothers why "that lady is wearing an apron in the park"? You are bound to love one of the fabric selections of the Bebe au Lait.
• The boning in the home-made one keeps protruding ragged pieces of plastic through the material. I'll cut it off, then a couple of weeks later I'll find another little piece poking out. It's like it's growing... I bet you could melt the end of the boning before you sew it in to your home-made version and that would take care of the problem. But now I have made 2 nursing covers for the price of buying 1 that would be right in the first place.
• I like the larger strap on the Bebe Au Lait. It's more comfortable, and the D-rings hold the strap in place much better.
  
• BUT, I do like the option of making the nursing cover wider for more coverage, which I highly recommend if you plan to make it.
  

They both have their good points, it's up to you to take the plunge...whether it's into your dusty sewing machine, or a plunge into your pocketbook. Either way, the nursing cover is a fantastic necessity for breastfeeding on the go.

Mabel's Labels

Over the years I have tried so many techniques to keep things labeled in our house. Permanent markers usually ended up labeling Tupperware, address labels were used to keep our family's name on books, and even masking tape and a pen have been used to label sippy cups when we have a baby sitter. Unfortunately, the permanent marker fades, the address labels get peeled off, and the masking tape is really only a temporary solution-especially with my 2 year old, who loves to peel stickers and tape off of anything.

Mabel's Labels have solved my labeling problems. Seriously. These are the most amazing little labels I have found. The Skinny-Mini and Sticky Labels can be applied to any Tupperware, sippy-cup, or other dish and they will not come off. Even in the dishwasher. Even in the microwave. Amazing. We have been washing our labeled sippy cups for the past 2 months and they show no signs of wear. You can also use the Skinny-Mini/Sticky-Labels to label non-dish items like books, school supplies, toys- pretty much any hard surface item. I love that these can be personalized- you get to choose a color, symbol, and up to 20 characters of lettering.
Shoes. Ever tried to label them? These are tough to label discreetly. In our house we have dance shoes and winter boots that especially need labeling. I have never used the shoe labels, but am about to give them a try. These labels fit right on the inside of the shoe and stay put.
I LOVE this idea. Tag-mates are a tag that you place on your clothing tag that can withstand the washer and the dryer. No iron required to make it stick. Just place it on. Love it. Perfect for clothing items you send to school with your child (like winter hats, gloves, scarves, etc). Chances are these items will have a tag that you can affix this label to.
Bag Tags. Perfect for your back-to-school child. Great for backpacks, lunch bags, even a water container if it has a canteen top to string the chain through.

Mabel's Labels also creates a myriad of other labeling products. I love their Canisters/Spice labels. If your child has allergies, you can use their Allergy Alerts to label snack containers, and sippy cups as an extra reminder to caregivers.

I am absolutely loving using these labels. If I have any complaint, it would be that they are very hard to remove. That is also what I love about them, so I guess that isn't a very good complaint. Be aware that it will be very difficult to remove these labels if you chose to sell/donate any of your labeled items later on. I have read a few reviews that have said that the shoe labels were not impossible to remove. I am thinking any of these stickers you put on a sippy cup would be, though. So, plan ahead. If you are thinking more than one child in your family might end up using that sippy cup or hat or sweater or whatever it may be, I would probably choose to put your last name on the label instead of the name of your individual child.

Currently, Mabel's Labels are only available on their official website: www.mabel.ca

Who would like to try out some Mabel's Labels??!? One lucky citrus reader will win an ultimate back-to-school combo pack. How great is that? This pack includes 40 Skinny-Minis, 50 Tag-Mates, 16 Shoe Labels, and 2 Bag Tags- a $39 value. Perfect for all the labeling you will be doing as the school year starts! Enter by leaving a comment on this post by midnight September 2nd. Winner will be announced on the morning of September 3rd. Please check back to see if you have won. Shipping to Continental US and Canada only. Good luck!

Safe Sippy

Despite the fact that the FDA recently declared BPA to be a "safe"material for food/feeding related plastic products to be constructed of, I am still consciously selecting products that are BPA-free.

The FDA has always maintained that BPA-leaching from food containers posed little/no threat to consumers because the levels are "thousands of times below" what would be considered dangerous. However, in April- after some prodding from a preliminary report by the National Toxicology Program, the FDA decided to re-visit the BPA issue.

Their recent findings, and BPA stamp of approval were announced a few days ago- much to the excitement of U.S. chemical companies, and much to the chagrin of California law makers hopeful to garner support for their upcoming effort to ban this chemical.

There are questions surrounding the timing of the announcement (so close to the legislative vote in California) and the funding of the studies that "prove" the safety of BPA that were cited by the FDA. Critics of the FDA announcement claim the counter-studies were funded by chemical companies.

To many questions are out there for me to feel comfortable with purchasing any baby/child feeding related products with BPA for now- or probably ever. Luckily, there are a lot of BPA-free choices now available on the market. Lately I have been on the hunt for a new sippy cup for our 23-month old, and have been quite impressed with the choices that are out there. In my opinion there are three drink container products that stand out in the Stainless Steel drink cup category: the Thermos Foogo, the Klean Kanteen, and the Safe Sippy.

We have been trying out the Safe Sippy for the last few weeks- and I have been quite impressed with it. Here is what I love:

• The body of the sippy cup is constructed of stainless steel, with a colored rubberized sleeve that snuggly fits over it. This sleeve is especially handy if the contents of the cup are cold- little fingers don't want to hold onto cold metal. It is also nice to have this rubberized sleeve when your sippy cup meets the floor (or your toes!).
  
• The handle of the Safe Sippy is detachable.
  
• The lid is made of BPA-free plastic materials, as is the valve.
• The valve is easy to clean, and is only one piece.
  
• Dishwasher Safe. ALWAYS important.
  
• The Safe Sippy really does a good job at not leaking. It will not leak if turned on its side, and only a small amount of leaking occurs when you shake it.
  

The downsides:

• The price. It is a little steep for a sippy cup. The price range runs from $15-17. Of course, you do need to remember it is constructed with stainless steel- and it is comparably priced with the other stainless steel cups on the market. Even with that said, it would be oh so painful if one of these is forever left behind on a bus or in the subway.
  
• The Gasket Ring. There is a very small O-shaped ring that fits into the lid to help the lid maintain its tight seal. The ring is meant to stay inside even during cleaning, but it can come out. Ours did. It can also be put back in (there are instructions on the website) but the process was a little tricky.
• The spout. This is a pro and a con. I like that the spout is straw shaped. This shape is supposedly better for speech development than the traditional sippy cup spout. However, the cup is designed to have no straw. So, the child has to tilt the sippy cup back to drink. If your child is accustomed to sippy cups with a straw feature (or straws in general) there may be some initial frustration- because the Safe Sippy looks like it has a straw, when indeed it has a spout. It took my son (who is all too familiar with straws) some getting used to, but now this is probably his favorite cup.

Overall, a great sippy cup choice, especially if you are leery of BPA and are in the market for a good stainless-steel sippy cup option. You can find the Safe Sippy here in NYC at Giggle (although it is currently on backorder). Here is a list of online retailers.

Do any of you have any experience with the Klean Kanteen or the Thermos Foogo? Leave a comment, I would love to hear about these!

Slide Diaper Bag

I was first introduced to the Go Gaga Slide diaper bag at the Boom Boom Room Baby Shower event a few months back, and was immediately impressed by the sling-like shoulder strap- which is the bag's most noticeable difference from the traditional diaper bag. As time has gone on, and I have been able to get more mileage out of this diaper bag, I have noticed several other qualities that set this bag apart from the rest. Both Sherie and I have been trying out the Slide bag over the past two months and here are our favorite features of this bag.

Sherie's Top 3 Favorite Features:

1) The first thing I look for in a diaper bag is the "cupholder" compartments. Why? Because a cup of water is the item that is most frequently moved to and from my bag. I've passed over many diaper bags because the side pockets weren't big enough to fit our mondo-bottomed Gerber sippy cups. I love that the side pockets fit virtually any cup, with one handed access.

That means if I don't have the bag jam-packed with stuff, I continue walking as I reach back and slide the cup in the pocket with one hand. The double handled cups don't just slide in the way the others do, but they do still fit!

2) A close second is the bag's "strap system" for lack of a better term. I like carrying my bags with the strap crossing over my body, but my nursing bust doesn't agree. This is by far the most comfortable bag for a nursing mother to carry like that. It's easy on my shoulder, too! I also like that it straps to my stroller (compatible to all styles). It even looks so much like my stroller that people think they came together! I've also used the stroller strap unconventionally to carry along a rolled blanket for a picnic.

3) Pockets galore!! I hate smashed diapers. I always thought this would be the fate of any diaper that ever entered a diaper bag. I stack the size 3 diapers flat in the side pocket, and they stay flat and accessible!

Honorable mentions:

1) This is truly washable. I've already removed marker and ballpoint pen from the bag with only water and a paper towel. For the price tag, it will fortunately be a bag that will last through all your babies, and then on to a bag just for you.

2) No more lost keys! I love the clip to attach your keys to the bag.

Downside:

The cellphone holder on the shoulder strap. It dumped my phone every time it turned upside down.

Theresa's Top Three Favorite features:

1.) Stroller Attachments. I live in NYC, and spend much of my day pushing a stroller around town. I need to have a diaper bag that can attach to the back of a stroller- so this bag definitely won points here. The Slide has 2 clips on each end of the bag where you can easily attach it to any stroller. It fits both our Phil&Ted's and our Maclaran.

2.) Well-constructed Zippers. I cannot stand cheap zippers. They are one of my least favorite things in life. Seriously. Especially on a product I know that I will be using daily. Typically the quality of the zipper is an indication of the quality of the overall product, and that is definitely the case here. Great zippers that will not lose their zipper pulls, or have their zipper teeth pull apart- at least not in this century.

3.) Versatility. This bag is super versatile. After spending oodles of money on baby gear, isn't it nice when it can be transformed into something still useful, long after you have stopped toting diapers around? I am looking forward to the day when this can become a gym bag. Additionally, every one of the Slide color combinations are unisex. It would be a bag that your husband could give second life to as well.

Honorable mentions:

1.) I love that the super-comfy shoulder strap is adjustable. I am on the tall side so I love height adjustable baby gear.

2.) Love the compartments! Lots and lots of pockets. Even an interior zipper pocket that I love to put my credit cards and subway pass in.

Downside:
I had to get used to the opening of the bag. It is slightly smaller than my previous diaper bags. Although I will say, that my old diaper bag had a flap that went over the front opening (like most diaper bags) and I LOVE the fact that this bag is "flap-less."

Overall, both Sherie and I agree that this is a fantastic bag. The Slide is well-constructed, ergonomic, and very versatile. You can purchase the Slide at Amazon.com, Zoomda, and many retail stores throughout the US. It retails for $95.

Who would like to try out the Go Gaga Slide? One lucky Citrus reader will win a Slide bag of their very own! Enter by leaving any comment on this post by midnight August 5th. A winner will be randomly selected, and announced on citrus August 6th. This would make a fabulous baby shower gift, so enter even if you are before/beyond the diaper bag days! Shipping to Continental US only. Thank you Go Gaga!

Bebe Belay

The Bebe Belay is my new favorite piece of baby gear. We are often out-and-about in the summer during lunchtime, and in the past I found myself toting along a full-sized bib for pizza/ketchup -protection. Recently, my "diaper-bag bib" was relegated back to the bib drawer, and has been replaced in my diaper bag by this cute little clip. Each side of the Bebe Belay attaches to the side of a napkin, instantly transforming it into a bib.

photo via innovativebaby.com

I have used this with fast-food napkins, cloth napkins, and even a baby wipe (in a pinch) and it has worked like a charm. The little clasps take a little getting used to- you have to lift a piece up before they can be pinched to open, and then fold the piece down to lock the belay in place. Once you have got the hang of it, you have an instant bib on your hands.



My kids have never taken a pacifier, but I imagine that this other Bebe Belay feature would come in very handy if they did. The Belay can also be used as a pacifier clip. You string the Bebe Belay through the handle of the pacifier, and then clip it back onto a piece of ribbon that is attached to the Belay. Hurray for multi-functional baby gear!

You can find the Bebe Belay at Innovative Baby, Paisley Monkey, bestdressedkids, and a several other retail shops throughout the US. The Bebe Belay retails for around $9-12.50.

Who wants to try out a Bebe Belay?!? Three lucky citrus readers will win their very own Bebe Belay and their own Mommy Hook! Yay for free ultra-useful gear! If you are unfamiliar with the Mommy Hook, I posted about this product last week. Enter by leaving a comment on this post (any comment) before midnight July 29th. Winners will be announced next Wednesday morning, so make sure to check back to see if you won. Thank you Bebe Belay and Mommy Hook, for sponsoring this great baby gear give-away!

Baby Banz Sunglasses

I love the idea behind these Baby Banz sunglasses. Sunglass frames with no ear piece extensions, just a neoprene/velcro band to keep it them in place. Here are the reasons for my love:

• The neoprene band is adjustable. My son happens to have a pretty small head, and I can adjust these to give him a snug fit.
  
• These are more difficult to remove. My son can get traditional sunglasses off in a split-second. He can still take these off, but when he does they end up loosely hanging around his neck, rather than chucked on the sidewalk below.
  
• They are PERFECT for the beach, boat or waterpark. In these situations you want constant UV protection for your child's eyes. Baby Banz keeps your child's eyes protected and allows them to play freely without worrying about their sunglasses falling off.
  
• They float. This is important if suddenly your child decides they are done wearing them, and throws them overboard. You can thank the neoprene band for this.
• Frame is made of shatter-resistant polycarbonate and the lenses provide 100% UVA/UVB protection.
  

Things to be aware of:

• If your child does not like wearing sunglasses, they will not instantly love Baby Banz right out of the box. It takes time to get used to them. I started off by only putting these on my son when it was very bright outside. His desire to block out sun's intense glare was stronger than his urge to rip these off , so the glasses stayed on.
  
• Some parents have complained about the frames of these leaving marks on their child's face. We have never experienced this. Of course (as you can see above) our 21-month-old is on the very thin side. Chubby cheeks may get slightly squished by these.
• "Baby Banz" (the brand) is marked on the back of the neoprene band in large white font. Your child becomes a walking billboard for Baby Banz. Smart marketing move for them, but I am not a huge fan of this.

Baby Banz also makes glasses for older children (kids banz), hats, and rash guard swimsuits that are very cute, and sun protective. Oh, and check out Retro Banz, if you have a baby girl- these are adorable, and more feminine than the traditional baby banz. You can buy Baby Banz at several websites: Amazon, KidSurplus, and Drugstore.com. They range in price from 7.49 to 15.00.

Mommy Hook

This little contraption is now a mainstay on my Phil&Ted's stroller. I love the single handlebar the Phil&Ted's has, but when it comes to actually figuring out what I am going to do with my excess shopping bags (when the basket is full) the single bar handle can't compete with my umbrella stroller in bag-hanging ability. Well, until now. This little Mommy Hook (it is actually quite large) fits over my handlebar, allowing me to attach my shopping finds or my Baggu, when I am out and about in the city.

Things I like about it:

• Ultra-tough yet light-weight. This is made of heavy-duty aluminum- with the design being very similar to rock-climbing carabiner hooks.
  
• Soft padded side. This foam material on the top/side of the Mommy Hook help it to stay in place on your stroller bar. It also helps to protect your hand if you are using the hook to carry a bunch of grocery sacks. I also like this foam because unlike the plastic hooks out there, it protects my foam-covered handlebar from being damaged by the weight of the hooked bags.
• Versatility. Like I mentioned above, you could use this to hand-carry bags. The Mommy Hook is compatible with virtually every stroller, so it could be used on my Maclaren as well, if needed.

I have found the Mommy Hook on Amazon for $5.49. It can also be found at Babyride.com for 4.99.

The Peanut Shell Baby Sling Give-away

I am not a "baby-wearer." I didn't even know what that was until my 3rd child came along. With my first two, I had a Baby Bjorn Original, and there's no way I was going to wear them in that all day. It just didn't seem comfortable for them--or me!

I have lately had a greater need for "wearing" my baby (that makes my baby sound like an accessory...but I can't think of anything else to call it...slingin' my baby?...definitely worse. Feel free to send ideas). Church was where a baby carrier was definitely needed, and since the Bjorn was not comfortable for extended periods and looked too casual, I started looking into slings.

I welcomed the Peanut Shell into my home on June 2, 2008, and threw the Bjorn away on June 10th. I love it like I made it myself. It's simple, it's pretty, it's washable, it's comfortable, and it's versatile enough to wear to the zoo or to church! And look how good I look in it!! Ha ha!

Ok, so the Peanut Shell won't make you blonde and beautiful, but it certainly will make you as happy as this smiling family.

Our #3 is 9 months old, and doesn't usually sleep in church. She usually fusses because it's during her nap time. I now seat her "hip carry" style in the Peanut Shell and she falls asleep every time. It has extra padding where her legs rest, so the sling isn't cutting into her leg. Instead of me being out in the hall struggling to break her will into slumber, she falls asleep on her own while I have 2 hands getting things done! If I've been wearing it for a long time and my shoulder starts getting tired, I don't even have to take it off to move baby to a "back carry". And when I'm done wearing it, it folds up small enough to easily fit into my diaper bag.

I love a lot of the regular designs, the reversibles, and I even like how they packaged it, which is important for gift-giving (and people are going to LOVE you if you give them this!). The packaging is currently undergoing a change to include a "how to" DVD. If you buy it now, you can still see the contents of the DVD here. I purposely tried using it without watching the DVD or reading about it to see how intuitive it is, and I definitely did it wrong. You MUST watch the video or read the directions to wear it right, for safety and comfort.

I didn't bring a stroller on vacation this year. What was once thought of as a necessity at the airport, I realize now was a hinderance. Of course, I occasionally used grandma's stroller at our destination, but during travel I didn't have to worry about my stroller getting damaged or lost. I had two hands free en route. One to hold my daughter's hand, and one to drag my luggage. It was so amazing, I almost didn't even notice they delayed our flight 7 hours and lost our luggage!

May my Bjorn rest in peace.

All styles of the Peanut Shell Baby Sling are currently on sale!! Buy it for only $39.99!! Yet another way the Peanut Shell destroys the Bjorn (and the price of many other slings similar to this one). It's half the price!

Who wants to try a Peanut Shell? We are giving away a Peanut Shell sling in your choice of available sizes and colors. Enter by leaving a comment on this post by midnight July 8th. Indicate in your comment what style of Peanut Shell you would like to win. For you citrus readers with no children- these would make an awesome Baby Shower gift, so enter! We will randomly select one winner from the post comments. Shipping to Continental US only. Thank you Goo-Ga.com, the makers of the Peanut Shell!

Top 2 photos via Goo-ga.com

Coverplayard

We purchased our trusty Graco Pack-n-Play 7 years ago, and it is still in use today by our third child. I am glad it has survived all three children, but I will say that after all of these years our Pack-n-Play isn't looking so hot.
To be honest- I never really liked the looks of it in the first place. We ended up settling on a grey/tan plaid beauty just because it was the only Pack-n-Play we could find that seemed gender neutral (so it could work with subsequent siblings), and was devoid of cartoon circus animals.

When I was introduced to Coverplayard, I was quite excited. Coverplayard makes covers for standard size Pack-n-Plays in a variety of colors. These covers fit snuggly over your existing Pack-n-Play and attach firmly through ties around the base. So now, no one will know what hides beneath :).
I am a fan of several of the patterns- Kelly, Zoe, and Charlie are my favorites. I also really like the Chenille covers.
I love that you can change the overall look of your Pack-n-Play with one of these slip covers, but my favorite thing about the Coverplayard is that it can be machine washed! Hooray! So, when green runny noses, or the stomach flu visit your house again you can just throw the Coverplayard in the wash for clean-up. Also, you may be more willing to lend out your Pack-n-Play to friends knowing that you can sanitize the cover when it comes back home.

Here are some pictures of us setting up the Coverplayard on our Graco:

This is old iron-sides. Yes, it has seen better days. Note the orange marker scribbles on the mesh paneling, courtesy of my artistic daughter Eva.

Here are the ties used to attach the Coverplayard to the Pack-n-Play. There are also holes in the bottom of the Coverplayard to string the velcro straps of your base mat through- which also helps to keep it in place.

Here are the ties -now attached- to the base of the Pack-n-Play. There are 6 ties total. One for each corner and two for the sides, where the side bar supports of the Pack-n-Play are.

Here it is the fully installed Coverplayard, in all its Polka-Dot glory.

As you can tell, the Coverplayard was an instant hit with the family. Everyone wanted a chance to climb in and try it out. I must say, Owen looks the most pleased, which is good because this is where he sleeps on a daily basis.

Some things to be aware of if you are thinking about purchasing a Coverplayard:

• The mesh side-paneling is quite delicate and will snag if it comes into contact with the velcro ties. Make sure you press all of the velcro ends together before you wash the Coverplayard!
• The Coverplayard cannot be used with attachments (except the bassinet and changing table) so if you have a Graco with an attached mobile or snap-on baby supply storage- you will not be able to use them with the Coverplayard on.
• The Coverplayard does not cover the base mat that comes with your Pack-n-Play. It is meant to go under it. If you would like a cover for the base mat, you can purchase a fitted sheet from Graco.
  

If any of you will be vacationing at the Hyatt, Hilton, or Club Med (I wish!) any time soon the Coverplayard is available at these locations. Coverplayard will soon be available at all Disney Hotels.

Overall, a great choice if you intend to get a lot of use out of your Pack-n-Play, or if you plan to lend it often to friends/family often. My youngest son sleeps in his Pack-n-Play every day- so for us, the Coverplayard makes a lot of sense.

You can purchase the Coverplayard at http://www.coverplayard.com/Prices range from $45-59.