Skip Hop’s New Rolling Luggage for Kids

May 15, 2012 By 1 Comment

We love to travel with our kids and they love it too. They especially love the anticipation of trip, packing a bag, and then carrying their very own bag on the airplane with them. Finding a rolling bag for kids has always been a challenge for us so I was thrilled to see that Skip Hop, one of my favorite brands for children, just launched rolling luggage for their Zoo line.

20120515-050710.jpg
The bags are priced at $38 and are trendy, functional, spacious, and most importantly super easy for the kids to carry and maneuver.

Take a peek at our video of the bags here – you’ll notice there is also a great strap that you can tuck into the back of the bag or leave out if you prefer to sling the bag over your shoulder. This is ideal for parents in case the kids somehow fall asleep, can’t carry their own bag for whatever reason or for whatever other unexpected event always seems to happen when you are traveling with kids.

Available in several designs – monkey, owl, bumble bee, or doggy.

My favorite is probably this owl – cute for boys or girls!

Disclosure: Thanks to Skip Hop for sending us these bags to facilitate our reviews. As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own – or Kenzie and Kyle’s :)

 

Look for a Skip Hop’s New Rolling Luggage for Kids on eBay - maybe you'll get lucky and find a great bargain!
Filed Under: Equipment, Reviews, Travel Tagged With: , ,

Kazam Balance Bike Review

May 14, 2012 By 1 Comment

We give the Kazam Balance bike a RAVE review. This is a revolutionary approach that all parents should use for their kids to help them learn how to ride a bike. The Kazam balance bike provides a fantastic way to prepare your kids early for what it will be like to ride an actual real bike. I highly recommend using a balance bike at an early age as it will make the transition to a real bike almost seamless. My 4 year old son has been using this Kazam in our driveway this spring and ironically when we were teaching his older 6 year old sister how to master riding her 2 wheeler, Kyle just literally picked up his own 2 wheeler bike and started tooling around on it.

Forget about training wheels – the idea behind the balance bike is to learn to balance first and then throw in the pedaling.

20120514-033805.jpg

Here’s a video of Kyle on his Kazam balance bike.

He is a very coordinated kid, but his use of the Kazam Balance bike definitely contributed to his ability to naturally pick up riding a bike as he already had that innate feel of balancing and steering while riding on a 2 wheels. The only downside is the cost – at $99 (Free shipping too!) this is not easy on your wallet but it will save your sanity – teaching some kids how to ride their bike can be a slow and frustrating process for parents. I can attest to this with my older daughter Kenzie who is now 6 and can ride but was just AFRAID to do it for so long despite her excellent balance at gymnastics and athletic skill. Kazam Bikes are lots of fun for all kids – those who can already ride a bike and those who are just learning. It’s low to the ground and gives kids a chance to naturally feel how to balance a bike. It will even reinforce the balancing concepts to older children who are struggling more slowly at picking up riding their bike. ClassyMommy Approved!

Disclosure: Thanks to Kazam for sending us this bike to facilitate our review. All thoughts and opinions are always our own.

 

Look for a Kazam Balance Bike Review on eBay - maybe you'll get lucky and find a great bargain!
Filed Under: Equipment, Reviews Tagged With:

Eureka SuctionSeal Vacuum Review and #Giveaway

May 9, 2012 By 410 Comments

Here’s the scoop on the new Eureka SuctionSeal Vacuum and a chance to Win it!

We took the Eureka SuctionSeal Vacuum for a test run and we’re giving away a Eureka SuctionSeal Vacuum to 1 lucky ClassyMommy.com reader.

What we loved about it:  This vacuum is 1/2 the price of a Dyson at $149. Fabulous! And yes the suction proved itself – we’re talking CRAZY awesome suction for cleaning power.  I’d say that YES it lived up to the hype in the marketing materials saying that the new Air Speed Technology  of the Eureka Suction Seal had BETTER suction power than the Dyson DC41 at half the price.

Honestly this bagless vacuum became instantly filled with incredible amounts of dirt since it was sucking better than any vacuum we’ve ever used at our house. We’re talking insane amounts of dirt here – after just 2 uses we needed to empty it! If you have a pet and lots of extra dirt, I think this might be the vacuum for you. I’ve never seen suction like this!

Why the great suction? Eureka’s popular and exclusive AirSpeed Technology.  Here’s an explanation of it from their materials:  ”AirSpeed Technology uses two wide, smooth tubes with limited bends and turns, allowing more air to pass through the vacuum for powerful suction – unlike most vacuums that propel air through a long nozzle and hose system full of twists and texturing.”

The cons: This vacuum is extremely heavy and far more difficult to lift for me than our Dyson or other lightweight vacuums we’ve owned. Also, the cord was far shorter than that on our Dyson which required us to do lots of unplugging and re-plugging which we found annoying. We have a big home with a very large finished basement and regular downstairs living area in our Kitchen/Family room so the cord length didn’t work for us the way we’d like it to or we’ve become accustomed to with our current Dyson and the weight of the Vacuum was a big obstacle for me as far as my ability to use the vacuum in various parts or floors of our home.

Enter to win:

1. Please leave a comment below by May 27th, 2012.

2. Like ClassyMommy on Facebook here and leave a comment telling me you liked our page

3. Daily comments allowed. 

Disclosure: Thanks to Eureka for our sample to facilitate our review and for giving us another unit to share with a reader. As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own. 

Look for a Eureka SuctionSeal Vacuum Review and #Giveaway on eBay - maybe you'll get lucky and find a great bargain!
Filed Under: Equipment, Giveaways, Home, Reviews Tagged With: ,

Fisher Price Deluxe Monkey Bouncer Review & Giveaway #FPBabyGear

April 30, 2012 By 206 Comments

I’m super excited to be teaming up with Fisher-Price to review awesome baby gear from their “Mom’s First Year Favorites” Top 10 Must Have list.

If you are expecting or a new Mom, this list is fabulous . Take a peek at the Top 10 Must Have List below here. This list was created after Fisher-Price surveyed hundreds of Moms on BabyCenter.com and they candidly shared what items they couldn’t live without during babies first year.

I promise so many of the items on this baby gear list will be sanity savers for Mom along with also providing hours of both soothing or entertainment for baby -depending on the product.  I profess I found many of these items to be gear I could not live without when Kenzie and Kyle were babies -but the item I chose to review was the Deluxe Monkey Bouncer. This is a product I used from virtually week 2 at home until Kenzie and Kyle could sit up on their own unassisted – about the 6 month age time for my babies.

Here Mom’s First Year Favorites Top 10 Must Have Items

Rank

Product

1

Swing

2

Bouncer

3

Sleeper

4

Feeding Support Pillow

5

Carrier

6

High Chair

7

Activity Gym

8

Jumperoo

9

Breast Pump

10

Play Mat

I profess I found many of these items to be gear I could not live without when Kenzie and Kyle were babies -but the item I chose to review was the Deluxe Monkey Bouncer. The bouncer is a product I used from virtually the 1st month at home until Kenzie and Kyle could sit up on their own unassisted – about the 6 month age time for my babies. It ended up being a product to keep the baby safely entertained and contained whenever I needed my hands free – cooking dinner, cleaning up, taking a shower, etc. And when I had a young toddler and a new baby, it became even more valuable since my time became even more precious to both get my own stuff done around the house and to enable me to play games or do crafts so I could give attention to “Big Sister” while baby Kyle could playfully go-ga away in his bouncer seat.

Here’s a photo of Kyle enjoying his time chilling in his bouncer. This is a walk down Memory lane for me as Kyle is now 4 years old!

He liked his bouncer so much, that we even fed him his first bites of solid food -baby cereal – while he was in his bouncy seat!

And Kenzie and Dad were celebrating with him post “1st” eating attempt!

So what’s the new Deluxe Monkey Bouncer from Fisher-Price like today? It’s priced at $55 and has tons of fabulous features.

Here’s  the scoop on product details and what I love best. Yes, some of these points are basic but truly they are so important in quality baby gear you can trust and depend on during babies 1st year.

1. Baby can be safely secured and this bouncer is Plush too. Plush is a big bonus in my opinion – far more snuggly for baby!

2. You can remove the “playful” music bar if you desire – this is a great option for the newborns as you don’t want them to startle themselves since at that stage sleep is usually the most desired for both baby & Mom.

3. You can safely wash and dry this. Hooray! All that spit up gets nasty and stinky. Plus when it’s time to hand this down to a neighbor or friend, it will be nice to revitalize it quickly and easily in the washing machine.

4. Music and Vibrations. 20 minute settings and babes can bat at the little toys too with their feet – and yes they’ll be rewarded with more rattles. Great for building the senses. Yeah!

5. An off switch. Yes – this is crucial – sometimes you might not want the baby to be so stimulated and you’d rather them focus on what’s happening in the room around them. Or you might want baby to nap. And yes, at times Mom just might want to turn off the tunes for her own break.

6. Battery details: 1 “D” sized battery and 2 “AA” batteries.

7. The activity bar even lights up. Another big cheer for this as it makes this bouncer even more engaging.

Win it! We’re giving away this Fisher Price Deluxe Bouncer to one lucky ClassyMommy.com reader. Entrants must be 18 or older and located in the US only. Winner to be chosen at random. Read below to see how you can enter. All entries must be received by May 14th, 2012.

Entry Details: 

1. Please leave a comment below by May 14th, 2012.

2. Like ClassyMommy on Facebook here and leave a comment telling me you liked our page

3. Daily comments allowed.

4. Hop on over to Fisher-Price’s List of Top 10 Must Have Items  and then leave me an additional comment letting me know what your “Must Have” baby item is.

Disclosure: Compensation was provided by Fisher-Price, but Fisher-Price is not a sponsor, administrator, or involved in any other way with this post. All opinions expressed in the post are my own and not those of Fisher-Price.

Look for a Fisher Price Deluxe Monkey Bouncer Review & Giveaway #FPBabyGear on eBay - maybe you'll get lucky and find a great bargain!
Filed Under: Equipment, gear, Giveaways, New Baby, Reviews Tagged With: ,

Tiny Love’s Tiny Princess Gymini Move ‘n Play Activity Mat

March 19, 2012 By

I recently had the opportunity to check out a new item from Tiny Love with my sweet newborn baby girl.

The Tiny Princess Gymini Move ‘n Play is an activity mat designed for little girls, but it is not your average play mat.

I will admit that, at first, I was skeptical that there could be anything all that new or interesting about an activity mat.  I had one for my son who is now 20 months old and barely used the thing because he simply was not interested. But, the Tiny Princess Gymini Move ‘n Play is already a hit with my 1 month old, so I have high hopes for this item!

Here’s my baby girl Sophia checking out her new mat.

The difference between this activity mat and others is that the Tiny Love Gymini activity mat allows you to move the arches and the hanging items so that they are just where your baby can focus and reach them.  I was amazed that my little girl was amused for a good 10-15 minutes without any interaction from me because she could see (and occassionally accidentally hit) the cute hanging toys.  Once I turned on the music and lights she was even more entranced!

In addition to the unique ability to move the arches and hanging toys, this activity mat has the standard features you want in an activity mat, including items on the mat which crinkle, a mirror for baby to check herself out, and it folds up easily for storage.  The moveable arches, though, are really what makes this mat stand out from others, and I think this mat will get a lot of use as my little girl grows.  Very cool!  It retails for $74.99.  It also coordinates with other items from Tiny Love in their Tiny Princess line.

Disclosure: A sample was provided to facilitate this review, but the opinions expressed are mine alone.

Look for a Tiny Love’s Tiny Princess Gymini Move ‘n Play Activity Mat on eBay - maybe you'll get lucky and find a great bargain!
Filed Under: Equipment, Reviews Tagged With:

Tide PODS Review

March 13, 2012 By

Tide PODS are the latest laundry innovation and I’m all over this convenient and revolutionary way to dispense my detergent and stain remover.Even more impressive, Tide PODS are 2x as concentrated as current liquid Tide and are compatible for all HE machines too. Awesome!

Take a peek at our video below for a close up look at TIDE PODS – and yes my kids are fascinated by this new revolutionary product too.

You can see how there are 3 different chambers in this POD to keep your detergent, stain remover, and brightener all separate until they dissolve in your laundry when you are running your load of wash. Fabulous right? They are sold in bags like this shown in our video or clear “fishbowl” type containers as photographed here that you might have noticed in stores over the last few weeks.

Impressive right? And I love not needing to pour detergent or carry those heavy bottles at the store either…….This is an innovation we will all adjust to very quickly. I’ve done several loads of laundry with these new Tide PODS and I can’t get over how much I am LOVING not pouring my liquid detergent. And of course, these PODS are giving me the same fresh scent of Tide that we obsess over in our household.

Getting technical about Tide PODS:

  • Tide PODS contain only 10% water, as opposed to 50% water in current Tide Ultra liquid detergent and 90% water in a value detergent such as Church & Dwight Co.’s Xtra.
  • Innovative, easy-to-use tub packaging ensures that  no “leftover” detergent is stuck at the bottom
  • Tide PODS will be  available in 3 scents: Spring Meadow, Ocean Mist and Mystic Forest
  • Tide PODs will be available in Small and Medium Bags and Large, XL and XXL Tubs

Disclosure: Thanks to Tide for providing me with samples of Tide PODS to test and review. As always all thoughts and opinions are my own. This is not a compensated post – I just adore Tide and am so excited about this new innovation.

Look for a Tide PODS Review on eBay - maybe you'll get lucky and find a great bargain!
Filed Under: Equipment, Home, Reviews Tagged With: ,

Motorola Wireless Video Baby Monitor with Color LCD screen

March 13, 2012 By

Wow! The baby monitor technology has improved infinitely in the last few years. I’m incredibly amazed with the stellar Motorola Remote Wireless Video Baby Monitor (ARV $245). It’s gaining in popularity too as I know 2 neighbors that use it and love it. My close friend and next door neighbor has 3 kids – including a newborn and 2 year old  has been putting this unit to the test – she loves it! She gave me a full run through of just how fabulous and high tech this Video Monitor is…….

Key Features of the Motorola Wireless Video Baby Monitor

It’s like a full communication system – with LCD video monitor and a remote video cam that lets you zoom, tilt, and pan around the room – great for checking on kiddos that move in their crib or older toddlers or climb out of the crib!  My neighbor Kelly also bought an additional camera unit (for about $99) so she can keep an eye on both her newborn and her 2 year old – this camera uses the same receiver and she can switch screens to see from room to room. What we love and why this monitor is the best Classy Mommy has ever reviewed. I wish I had something like this when my kids were newborns!

- LCD Screen

- Can add an extra camera to check on additional child in a different bedroom

- From the receiver you can tilt, pan, and zoom into the room with the camera

-Two way communication: Microphone function so you can talk to your kids when they call to you and tell them you’ll be right there

- Wireless

-Infared Night Vision – yes it works too!

-Range 590 feet

-Out of range alert

-Room temperature display (and if you have 2 cameras in 2 rooms you’ll know the temp in each room!)

-5 lullabies

 

 

Disclosure: Thanks to Motorola for sending us a sample unit to facilitate our review. As always all thoughts and opinions are our own. 

Look for a Motorola Wireless Video Baby Monitor with Color LCD screen on eBay - maybe you'll get lucky and find a great bargain!
Filed Under: Equipment, Reviews Tagged With:

HP Wireless Deskjet 3052A e-All-in-One Printer Review

February 1, 2012 By

Yes, we are living in the future. Technology like this continues to “Wow” me as it see how it simplifies life. I can’t begin to understand the tech that goes into making all this happening, but I do know that this HP Deskjet wireless printer is mobile printing at it’s best.

Convenient. Simple. Easy to set up. And you can literally print to this machine from ANYWHERE in the world from your smartphone or tablet – think grocery store, airport, while away on a business trip, from the carpool lane or whenever the mood strikes.

Take a peek at our video demonstration of the HP Wireless Deskjet 3052A e-All-in-One Printer.

Key Features we loved about the HP Wireless Deskjet 3052A e-All-in-One Printer:

1.Wireless printing. I do not want to connect my laptop to a printer with a cord. I’m always moving about my house. I love Wireless printing – it’s the only way to go.

2.Mobile printing. You can print from any smartphone or tablet to your printer – and you can do this from ANYWHERE in the world. You just get a special email address for your printer – you create it yourself during a simple set up process that literally took me only 5 minutes!

3. Price point – I can’t ignore that this e-Printer sells for only $69 at Walmart. Honestly this seems like a steal to me for such an easy to use and convenient high tech gadget.

4. You can print color photos – the quality looks great. And once again you can print your favorite pics right from your smartphone to the printer. No need to download them to your computer first. Just press print right from your phone.

Overall, we were thrilled with this printer. Inexpensive yet it totally works and is a high quality gadget. Obviously, if you need to print copious amounts of documents, a laser printer would better fit your needs but for busy Moms or entrepreneurs on the go, this HP Wireless Deskjet is perfect and will fulfill all your day to day printing demands of both your personal life and your business life.

Available at Walmart and Walmart.com. 

Disclosure: This is post is sponsored by HP. They provided me with this sample printer to facilitate to review. As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own. 

Look for a HP Wireless Deskjet 3052A e-All-in-One Printer Review on eBay - maybe you'll get lucky and find a great bargain!
Filed Under: Equipment, Reviews Tagged With: ,

Keurig Single Cup Coffee Brewers

January 19, 2012 By

You’ll love it. Guaranteed. These Keurig single cup coffee brewers by Green Mountain Coffee top any other machine on the market.Totally gourmet.And I’ve now entertained with this as my brewer and guests can whip up their own cup of tea, hot chocolate or coffee in mere seconds. You can freshly brew a cup of coffee with the push of a button. I can’t imagine a machine more convenient as the pods are individually packed for each cup and so easy to use. My Mom was so thrilled I was able to review one of these machines as I’m personally not an avid coffee drinker – if you met me you’d know I have too much energy already without any extra caffeine thrown into the mix- but my friends who are coffee fans rave and crave about the delicious fair trade Green Mountain Coffee and even before reviewing the Keurig I’ve heard tons of positive buzz on the product. And the best part for me is that I now will always be able to brew the PERFECT cup of coffee for a guest since there is no room for error! Choose from over 45 varieties of coffee/tea and hot cocoa on the Green Mountain website or the adapter can also be filled with any ground coffee of your choice and can be used in any Keurig home brewer. Classy Mommy Approved! For more information, click here. Price: $100

Look for a Keurig Single Cup Coffee Brewers on eBay - maybe you'll get lucky and find a great bargain!
Filed Under: Birthday, Equipment, Reviews, xmas08 Tagged With: , , ,

Baby B’air Flight Safety Vest

January 19, 2012 By

Classy Mommy is ultra impressed with this safety item for babies traveling by airplane. The Baby B’air is a vest that your lapheld infant or toddler (under 2 years old) can wear which enables you to strap your safety belt into the back of their vest to keep your child secure. Considering most parents to do not purchase a ticket for kids under age 2 – this seems like a really wise investment considering children can be injured during in flight turbulence. It is surprising that as a parent we’d never consider driving a car without our children in a car seat, yet we all fly without any safety equipment for children. This product has been on the market for a few years and I’ve been seeing more and more press about it – I’m anxious to buy one for Kyle for his first flight if we are unable to purchase a seat and bring his car seat on the plane. Perhaps, as the Baby B’air gains exposure the FAA will make these safety vests a requirment fir children under 2. Fantastic innovation. Add this item to your registry of must haves for travel equipment. For more information, click here. Price: $26

Look for a Baby B’air Flight Safety Vest on eBay - maybe you'll get lucky and find a great bargain!
Filed Under: Equipment, Reviews, Travel Tagged With: , ,
« Older Posts