When our daughter was a baby, she was sleeping through the night and in her own bedroom by the time she was 6 weeks old. Our son on the other hand, was sleeping through the night and in his room at around 10 weeks old. Poor thing struggled with reflux the first few months and couldn't seem to get comfortable...especially at night. We tried everything, including inclined sleep wedges, but nothing helped. Thankfully I was introduced to the new Bright Starts InGenuity Playard from their InGenuity Collection, and it couldn't have come at a better time!
Bright Starts is a company many parents have grown to love and trust. They are dedicated to providing the highest quality, innovative and relevant products possible, while still making them affordable for your budget. They also strive to inspire a child's curiosity and confidence.
Having used and been happy with Bright Starts products in the past, I was thrilled when I found out that we would be receiving the Bright Starts
InGenuity Playard to review! I took it out of the box as soon as it arrived and couldn't wait to set it up. Folded up and in the carrying case, I thought it looked similar to a lot of other playards I have seen. I couldn't have been more wrong! It may have appeared like your basic playard when in the case, but once we set it up...I realized it offered more than any other playard I'd seen or used before!
First of all, I have to say how incredibly easy the InGenuity Playard is to set up! With its One Less Step feature, I was quickly able to unfold the Playard and have the bassinet already in place. This is the only Playard with this feature and one I'm very happy with.
What busy Mom doesn't want to save time when possible, right?! It's just as easy to fold up too...again, without having to remove the bassinet at all! As you can see in the following picture, there's a flap that you can open which conveniently allows you to reach down and pull up or push down on the base to open and close it.
Once we set up the Playard, I was immediately impressed with the quality. It was durable and I could tell, was made very well! This is definitely something which will last us a very long time. One great thing about the
InGenuity Playard, is that it's stylish. I don't mind having it sitting out in our family room. The design and images are great and very attractive. We were sent the Playard in the Bella Vista fashion which is great for a boy. However, it's neutral enough that it could be used for a girl too.
Another feature, and probably my favorite, is the Sleep Easy Incline in the bassinet. This is something I have never found in any other Playard and one that we've been needing for SO long! The Sleep Easy feature makes sleeping for your baby more comfortable and healthy. In the following picture you can see how the mattress is slightly inclined. It can be adjusted to be this way, or can remain flat too.
We received this while Kaden was still sleeping in our room and dealing with his reflux. We used it several times and I noticed him sleeping longer and more soundly. I could tell that this slight incline really helped him a lot! Recently I've been using it during the day for his naps, as he's had a cold and cough that keeps him awake. It has helped a lot with that as well.
I wasn't sure what to expect when it came to the changing table. I've used ones in the past that are quite small and in my opinion, not very safe. Once we attached it to the Playard, I could tell this one was different. It had nice tall sides, which made me feel better as Kaden has been kicking and moving around a lot more lately. It was also very sturdy and latches on to three sides of the Playard. A neat feature of this particular changing table, is that it pivots to the side when not in use. I love that it doesn't have to be completely taken off every time we lay him in it like so many other Playards out there!
Along the side of the changing table is space to attach the storage tray which offers a ton of room for diapers, wipes and any other things you may need close by. This is very handy and a feature I'm so glad it offers.
Between the auto-lock wheels and the convenient travel bag, we have found it easy to move from room to room, and take with us when we're staying away from home. The Bright Starts InGenuity Playard is definitely one I'd recommend to anyone looking for quality and practicality.
Their new InGenuity Collection combines innovative technology and stylish design to create a line of products that meet the needs of your developing baby. I'd love to try the
InGenuity Portable Swing at some point!
We were also sent the
Bright Starts Drop and Giggle toy for Kaelyn.
This is a toy for children 6+ months and is still something Kaelyn thoroughly enjoys playing with. She loves to drop the colorful balls in the Giraffe's head and hands and watch as they tumble through his feet. The fun sounds and giggles it makes when the balls tumble through, encourage her to try again and again.
I wasn't sure how long her interest would last with a toy like this, but she loves it! It's great for young children because it promotes hand-eye coordination. I love it for the toddler age as well, because we've been able to talk about the colors of the balls, count them as we put them through the Giraffe and more!
It's a great quality toy that I'm sure will be one of her favorites for quite some time. I'm looking forward to introducing it to Kaden as he gets older as well! It's a fun toy that promotes learning at the same time.
Also be sure to check out the
Bright Starts Babymoon Vacation Sweepstakes. They are giving away a 7-night babymoon vacation to three lucky couples at an incredible U.S. Virgin Islands destination: either St. Croix, St. John, or St. Thomas!
One winner will be selected every 4 months from December 2009 to November 2010.
Buy It: You can purchase the Bright Starts InGenuity Playard for $99.99 and the Drop and Giggle toy for $14.99.
Win It: Bright Starts has generously offered one lucky reader an
InGenuity Playard! To enter, visit
Bright Starts and tell me another product they offer that you'd love to have.
Extra Entries: (only valid after the required entry has been completed)
1. For TWO extra entries, subscribe to A Mom's Balancing Act via e-mail (easily found along the side column). Be sure to leave TWO comments so that both entries can be counted.
2. For FIVE extra entries, blog about this giveaway (linking to this post and
Bright Starts) and leave me FIVE comments with the URL to that post.
3. Post my blog button or blog URL to your blog and leave a comment with the URL to your blog. (If it already is, leave me a comment letting me know)
4. For TWO extra entries,
Follow me on Twitter and tweet about this giveaway (Tweet once a day for an extra entry every day)! You can copy and paste:
RT Enter to win a @BrightStarts InGenuity Playard @MomBalancingAct http://tinyurl.com/yjrdc8j Ends 3/315. For TWO extra entries,
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9. Enter one of my other giveaways and leave me a comment letting me know that you did (current giveaways can be found along the side column)....ONE entry for EACH giveaway you enter!!
Please be sure to leave me a *separate* comment for each entry you complete above including with each, your e-mail address so that I can easily and accurately contact the winner!!
This giveaway will end
March 31st and is open to the
US Only!
**The products for this review and giveaway were provided at no cost by Bright Starts. This was not a paid post and my honest opinions were given.**
Making sure my family is eating fresh, healthy food is very important to me. That's why it is not very often that we go out to eat as a family. I find that preparing meals at home rather than taking them out to eat ensures that they are getting a healthier diet. Unfortunately, many casual restaurants use bagged and ready-to-serve ingredients rather than those which are freshly prepared. That's why I was very excited when approached by the Chili's Grill & Bar marketing team to try out some of their newly added, freshly prepared, menu items!
Then came our entrees. We all tried a little bit of everything and really liked it. My daughter didn't care much for the BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwich which was a little different than the pork sandwiches she's had in the past. This one had fresh cole slaw and onions along with the BBQ pork, which I for one thought was great! The tacos were very good too, and by far my husband's and daughter's favorite! They came with yummy beans and rice which made them even better.
Overall we were very pleased with the new freshly preapred menu items at Chili's Grill & Bar. There was a ton of food that made great leftovers too! I love knowing that there's a place we can bring our family that is not only affordable for the amount of food you get, but also that serves healthier options. I am looking forward to going there again and hopefully trying their Asian Salad w/ Chicken next time.
