The latest and greatest in gadgets, gear and goodies
Thank you to everyone who entered the Yummi Bears giveaway! And a huge thank you to Hero Nutritionals for the fantastic goodies! The winner of the giftbasket is Melissa, #16! Melissa, please email me with your information so I can send this fun basket your way! jen [at] nextkidthing [dot] com
Congrats to Brett for winning the 3 month supply of Yummi Bears! I’ll be in touch later to get the Yummi Bears to you!
June will always remind me of the end of the school year AND many, many dance recitals. Standing in some barren classroom, alongside of other ballerinas prepping for various performances, my mom would perfect my bun atop of my head and spray—and spray—until every strand of hair was perfect. With all those girls (and guys) in my dance school spraying away, we sure went through a lot of AquaNet. We, alone, are probably to blame for the hole in the ozone.
Well, thank goodness times have changed. Kids who have ballerina buns, cheerleader ‘dos or maybe fauxhawks to perfect, there’s a new line of natural hair products specifically targeted to them. Recently rolled out, Glop and Glam is a line of natural hair products, formulated without harsh chemicals and preservatives that are often found in many adult hair care products. G&G Hair Products are free of Paraben and formaldehyde (Hydantoin DMDM). The products tout natural extracts like Aloe, Echinacea (A E C), and Camellia Oleifera leaf extract (Green Tea) that are said to moisturize and add gloss and texture. G&G might be intended for kids, but they’re suitable for grown-ups, too.
G&G sent me some various samples to take a look at and review. Upon opening the box, I was taken aback by the gorgeous packaging. I’m such a nerd for cool packaging, as I’m sure you’ve already figured out! Each product had its own cool scent. Our favorite, however, was the Hair Glop Banana Spike Molding Putty.
Last week, the boy had a go-see in the city, and after trekking in the rain and sitting in his stroller all morning, his hair was a crazy mess (He has hair like his mama.) I pulled out the Molding Putty, and it worked wonders with his damp, tangly hair. With just a few finger swipes from the container, the boy’s longish and uncontrollable hair was tamed again. It gave his fine-looking, yet thick hair some texture, without making it look overdone. I see a lot of boys wearing the spiky look lately, and this putty would be suitable for creating that look. The putty allowed for his hair to still be pliable, yet hold a definitive style. I loved how the putty was light and not sticky or greasy at all. The banana scent was subtle and not overpowering, again light enough to use for a kid. Every day isn’t a hair product kind of day for us, but when the situation calls for it, without a doubt, the Molding Putty comes in handy.
I tried out the Glam Chocolate Controller on myself and thought it would be suitable for longer hair, even those with hair that has a tendency to frizz. This scent was sweet and yummy, but again, nothing over-the-top.
With the unique packaging, fun scents, light and natural composition, Glop and Glam is a fun and natural alternative to adult hair products. I can definitely see my Tween nieces, nephews and teenage niece using Glop and Glam products regularly. G&G hair products for kids is sold online and can be found at hair salons; most products are in the $15 price range.
Would you like to try it out for your kid? I have the Glam Chocolate Controller and Glop Chocolate Cream samples up for grabs.
Take a look at Glop and Glam products and tell me what products your kid might enjoy and comment below.
For extra entries:
1. Tweet
2. Share
3. Tell me what is the scent of the leave-in conditioner and detangler mist.
4. Become a fan of NKT on Facebook!
Good luck and please leave a comment for each entry. This contest will end on July 8th.
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I’m bumping this post because I just added some pretty pictures and that they’ll be two winners! see below
As this blog continues to grow with leaps and bounds, I wanted to take a moment to thank all of you—my awesome readers, especially my frequent commenters. All of you rock. And guess what, I’m not the only one who notices your frequent visits and comments on The Next Kid Thing, but so are many of the companies that I’ve been featuring.
I’m sure many of you remember the post from a few weeks ago about the Organic Yummi Bears vitamins by Hero Nutritionals. In case you don’t, let me refresh your memory:
Hero Nutritionals has recently added Yummi Bears Organics to their Yummi Bears Gummy Vitamins product line. The organic option is GMO-Free, as well as allergen, gluten and casein free. The Yummi Bears Organics are manufactured with natural flavors and colors, too. The organic product line is gelatin free and vegetarian approved, so parents, rest assured, there are no harmful pesticides, no insecticides, no growth hormones and no antibiotics added to the gummy vitamins.
Well, because today is Wellness Wednesday, I thought I’d announce another great giveaway! Hero Nutritionals is generously offering a gift basket to one lucky Next Kid Thing reader. Check out the goodies:
Seriously, what a great giveaway!
Want to win the giftbasket from Hero Nutritionals?
Visit Yummi Bears and tell me what product you’d like to try for your family.
For additional entries:
1. Tweet about this giveaway
2. Share this post on any social networking site
3. Sign up to receive my updates via email.
4. Become a fan of NKT on Facebook
5. Tell me the name of the recently launched line of natural gummy vitamins for adults.
6. Comment on another NKT post and get 2 more entries!
—>**New***Second winner!
Want to win 3 months worth of Yummi Bears?
Tell me your childhood vitamin memories. It can be funny, quirky, crazy…whatever! I’ll pick the second winner at random from the memory entries.
Want to know mine? Uh, when I didn’t like the flavor of my Flintsone Vitamin, I’d stash the uneaten vitamin behind the encyclopedias. (Sorry ’bout that, Mom!)
Please comment for each additional entry and good luck! This contest ends on June 24, 2009.
Want a chance to win a Spa Finder Giftcard or Hero Nutritionals goodies, among other things? Be sure to sign up for their Sunshine Drawing!
And a big thanks to Hero Nutritionals!
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<br /> The numbers generated by this widget come from RANDOM.ORG’s true random number generator.<br />
Always on the lookout for the Next Big Thing for kids, I find myself researching incessantly, not only new products, but also news that’s relevant to parenting and kids. Even before I started NKT, I tried to keep abreast on topics pertaining to the environment and especially reports about BPA. With Chicago voting to adopt a ban on the sale of baby bottles and sippy cups containing the chemical BPA, and other areas moving in a similar direction, huge strides are being made.
As they say, necessity is the mother of invention, or in this case, innovation and ingenuity. Citing the growing need for more BPA-free products, Michael Ritterbrown and his wife, Shelley launched Green to Grow, a line of award-winning baby bottles. Like most modern parents, they sought safe alternatives for kid gear and weren’t willing to sacrifice sensibility, thus Green to Grow was sprouted to fill that void.
I initially spotted Green to Grow bottles at Buy Buy Baby and was immediately intrigued by the modern, yet simplistic appearance. Green to Grow kindly sent me a sample to review in detail; specifically, they sent the 5 oz. Wide Neck Bottle.
Thank you to everyone for entering the Probugs giveaway! Congrats to Vanessa for winning this awesome giveaway. I’ll be in touch to get your info. A big thanks to Lifeway for the great promotion! Everyone else, please stay tuned for the next giveaway to be announced later today!
Yay! Congrats to:
Erica for winning the Diaper Dekor!
and Brett for winning the BornFree products grab bag!
Ladies, I’ll be in touch later today to get details!
I’m a bit behind on announcing giveaway winners, sorry ’bout that. But alas, here they are:
Thank you everyone for participating in the Silikids giveaway! The winner, picked at random via Random.org, is comment #4 from Elizabeth. I’ll send you an email later today, Elizabeth.
Everyone else, please don’t forget the other great giveaways going on this week —>
And tomorrow, I’ll have a pretty cool giveaway in honor of Earth Day!
Regal Lager is a distributor of great baby and children’s products, many that we all know and love. The Georgia-based family run company distributes brands that offer practical, stylish, well-designed, and safe products, including Diaper Dékor, gr8x and Lascal Buggy Boards, among others.
A few weeks ago, I had the chance to attend the Big City Mom’s Biggest Baby Shower event. Clearly, I’m not pregnant, but instead, I went for this baby, this new blog here. I have never seen so many pregnant women together in one location, but better yet, it was the biggest collection of awesome baby and kid gear. It was total chaos, what with wall to wall shopping fanatics, enthusiastic city moms, food and mocktails. But, it was pretty cool to learn about so many new products, including those from Regal Lager. Coming home with bags of swag isn’t too bad either (much of which I’m giving away here on NKT!)
But one of the few items that I’m keeping deserves a review: the gr8x messenger diaper bag . You see the same brand of diaper bags hung on strollers around here, but the gr8x messenger bag diaper bag is one that I’d never seen or even heard about.
On first impression, I knew this bag was meant to be mine—it was black, durable vinyl, didn’t look too diaper bag-ish and had pockets galore. I mean, all the pockets and compartments a girl could ever want. In one of those many pockets, on the side, we discovered an insulated bottle pocket, or in our case, sippy cup holder. In addition to all the handy dandy pockets, we found that it included a waterproof changing pad in its own pouch. It also has its own adorable detachable pacifier pouch. gr8x didn’t miss a beat on this one!
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With all the news involving BPA lately, this company is one that shows the direction that the baby gear market is heading.
In light of the growth of environmental awareness and social consciousness, especially among new parents, many of us seek safer and much more sustainable products. Silikids, founded by two moms who, in a search for alternatives, decided to turn to silicone, one of the safest and most durable materials on earth, into a product line for children.
After recognizing the lack of hygienic, practical and non-toxic products Giuliana Schwab and Stacey Feeley founded Silikids. They have created a unique line of mom-inspired products, which are germ, mold and toxin-free, hypoallergenic and made entirely out of silicone.
Silicone is a non-porous material made from sand, which is unique for its hygienic, safe, durable and green benefits. Silicone is more frequently being used in children’s products, and is already commonly used for baby bottle nipples, pacifiers, teethers and baby spoons.
The Silikids collection currently includes:
· Siliskins-silicone sleeves for 4- and 8-oz. bottles (bottles included)
· Silibibs-soft and easy to clean bibs made entirely of silicone
· Silipads-silicone kneepads for crawlers and toddlers
I had the chance to check out these products, and I was so impressed. The quality and durability are absolutely what I look for in the products that I normally buy. The functionality and eco-friendliness are clear cut selling points, too.
With many families shying away from questionable plastic baby bottles, glass bottles are once again a popular alternative.
The Siliskin sleeves for glass baby bottles are a protective sheath that helps prevent the bottle from breaking. In addition to being functional, they’re fun and colorful, too!
The Silibibs are easy to clean bibs that are a great alternative to the flimsy plastic bibs out on the market. In addition to catching crumbs, many of those plastic bibs catch their fair share of germs if they’re not cleaned properly! These silicone bibs are a safe bet.
Even though my kid is beyond the crawling phase, I appreciate the innovation of the Silipad silicone kneepads. Bumps and bruises are part of our daily routine, but we could’ve definitely used these in the crawling days to cushion little knees from those hard surfaces.
All Silikids products are priced at less than $25.00 and are dishwasher safe, washer/dryer friendly and can be boiled for sterilization. These products which are fairly new to the market can be found at various stores and online retailers.
I have an orange pair of the Silipads and two 4 oz. sized Siliskin sleeves up for grabs.
Want to win it?
Visit the Silikids site and leave a comment with the products you’d like to try.
For additional entries: blog, tweet, stumble or share the news of the Next Kid Thing’s official launch on any social media site. Please leave a comment for each additional entries.
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