Archive for the ‘giveaways’ Category

I hope you are having a wonderful holiday season and those of you who celebrated Eid’ul-Adha, Fiesta of Our Lady of Guadalupe, St. Lucia Day, Hanukkah, Christmas, and Boxing Day I hope you had a great holiday! And, I wish all of you a Happy New Year (any interesting resolutions out there this year?), Happy Kwanzaa, Happy Omisoka, and Happy anything else you might celebrate that I haven’t listed! I love learning about different cultures, so please do comment below with your choice of holiday (even if it’s not in December!).

We celebrate Christmas and had a great holiday, but it was also EXHAUSTING! And, the kids got off schedule and routine making naps start to disappear and night-wakings increase. Today, at 1 p.m. EST, I’ll discuss ways to get back on track after the holidays and transitioning to fewer naps, in general, for all The Baby Sleep Site™ members during my quarterly tele-seminar (recorded for later listening).

To help some of you even more during the holidays, I decided to give the gift of sleep this year by giving away some of our sleep products and here are the winners:

•   Two copies of my e-Book, Help Your Child Sleep, a Step-by-Step Guide, to help a tired family with their nighttime troubles.
(Value: $28.50)

Winners e-Book Help Your Child Sleep: Allyson and Mariah

•   Two copies of my e-Book, Mastering Naps & Schedules, to help a tired family with their baby’s nap struggles or to help establish a routine.
(Value: $24.95)

Winners e-Book Master Naps & Schedules:Wendi and Becki

•   Two 3-month memberships to my exclusive Members Area, where you gain access to all our e-Books, case studies, weekly expert advice by yours truly, and much MUCH more!
(Value: $18)

Winners of 3 month memberships to exclusive Members Area: Tania and Gabriela

AND

•   Two two-email personalized consultation packages, where I customize a sleep plan for your specific situation. I promise we can get a lot done in just two e-mail! Read other parent stories. (You can also feel free to save these to use later, too)
(Value: $24.95)

Winners of two customized email consultations:Martine and Teralita

AND

•   Your choice of a $57.20 Target or Amazon gift card (so the total prizes equal $250 just because I’m a little anal and silly like that. Go ahead and check my math. I used Excel! )
(Value: $57.20)

Winner $57.20 Target or Amazon Gift Card: Melissa

I truly LOVE helping people with their sleep struggles, so I hope the winners find some relief with their prizes.

Winners were chosen randomly (using random.org) and e-mailed last week, but you must claim your prize by tonight (12/29), otherwise we will be choosing new winners.

For those of you who didn’t win, but still want to get help with your baby’s sleep, we’re having an After Christmas / New Year’s Sale!

For the next 72 hours, you can get:

• 12% Off Personalized Consultation Packages – Create an account in the Helpdesk and use Coupon Code PRE2010

• 24% Off Mastering Naps & Schedules, including 40 sample schedules to help your baby get on a solid routine and/or schedule.

• 36% Off Help Your Child Sleep, a Step-by-Step Guide, for those persistent nighttime sleep problems.

Move fast because this sale begins today, 12/29/2009, at 10 a.m. EST and ends at 10 a.m. EST on 1/1/2010!

Happy New Year and be safe this holiday season!

What are your New Year’s resolutions this year?

Many thanks to everyone who enter the SIDS Awareness Month October Giveaway. It was truly my hope to help promote awareness about SIDS and provide tips, facts and resources for helping prevent SIDS. Along the way, I  learned about Patti McKenna’s story about the loss of her precious son to SIDS 21 years ago. She has also written a  book, Caution: Children Should Come with Warning Labels,  from which she donates the proceeds from sales to SIDS research. A charming and brutally honest accounting of the adventures of parenting. I was happy to donate three copies of this book the giveaway.

And now….I am pleased to announce the winners of the giveaway. Winners have been notified by email.

Target Gift Cards We have two Target Gift Cards up for grabs donated by The Baby Sleep Site™.

With the holidays just around the corner, who wouldn’t find it helpful to have a gift card on hand to help with the gift shopping? One winner will receive a $50 gift card and another will win a $75 gift card! You can check out all the great stuff Target offers over at www.Target.com

Winner $50 Gift Card: Krystal who entered a comment, subscribed to the blog and became a fan of all three Facebook Fan Pages

Winner $75: Carla who entered a comment

Merino Kids Cocooi Babywrap from BabySleepBags.com

These adorable and cuddly soft baby swaddlers are perfect for swaddling newborn babies up to two or three months old. Made from allergy safe New Zealand merino wool, these swaddlers are perfect for any season as merino has the unique ability to help regulate body temperature and reduce the risks of overheating. Baby has the freedom to move naturally while swaddle much like they did while in the womb. Merino has a silky soft texture, is lightweight and comfortable to wear without itch making it safe to use for babies with eczema, allergies and sensitive skin. Merino is also naturally fire resistant. These baby wraps are available through their online store at www.babysleepbags.com.

Winner: Michelle who entered a comment, subscribed to the blog and became a fan of all three Facebook Fan pages

Good Nite Lite

The Good Nite Lite is the perfect nightlight for helping babies and toddler which helps promote a child’s ability to get into a healthy sleep pattern. This nightlight features a nighttime moon light that is set at bedtime to give off a soft blue glow that provides enough light to soothe your child but is not too bright as to inhibit sleeping. Parents can then set the light for a specific wake-up time and the sun lights up letting your baby or toddler learn and understand that until the sun lights up, it is still sleep time. The Good Nite Lite is a great visual cue for young children to begin moving from waking up too early and interfering with getting a full night’s rest. You can find more information and ordering this product at www.goodnitelite.com.

Winner: Karen who entered a comment

Sounds for Silence- Baby Settling Program for Sleeping

This program was developed by Dr. Harry Zehnwirth, an experienced Pediatrician. Includes a unique combination of blended and layered sounds to distract, engage and soothe unsettled babies. Also includes a no nonsense book for parents with information and practical advice to help parents better understand their babies and how they can help soothe and comfort them. The book covers such topics as Intuition, Infant irritability, Strategies for managing irritability, Baby sleep and settling, and The preterm infant (prematurity). You can order this product directly from Amazon: Sounds for Silence.

Winner: Bebemiqui who entered a comment

Nature’s Paradise Organics

Nature’s Paradise Organics provides safe & effective organic skin care products which are all USDA Certified Organic. Their products are chemical free, vegan approved and sustainable.

Nature’s Paradise has been kind enough to offer one Baby Organic Kit which includes Conditioning Shampoo & Body Wash, Lotion, Diaper Cream, Baby Powder, Baby Coconut Oil and Hand Sanitizer. Great starter kit or gift for Mom’s who care about the quality of skin care for their baby’s delicate skin. All Certified USDA Organic. This Gift set comes packaged in a eco-friendly, recyclable box with a clear top and a natural bow tie. Available and in Coconut or Unscented. You can find more organic skin care products on Nature’s Paradise website.

Winner: Valorie who entered a comment, blogged about the giveaway, subscribed to both blogs and to The Baby Sleep Site™ Newsletter

Baby Dipper Bowl and Spoon

The Baby Dipper spoon and bowl combo is the genius invention by a mother of two sets of twins which makes it no surprise at all that this set makes feeding baby easy and is perfect to assist toddlers with self-feeding. Barbara Schantz invented the Baby Dipper Bowl as a triangular-shaped bowl which enables parent’s to feed with one hand while keeping the other hand free. I’ve tried this bowl with my own son and found it to a huge help at feeding time. The Baby Dipper features a non-slip base which keeps it in place as either me or my son scoops food out of it- making it especially handy for helping my son learn to feed himself. The contoured interior of this bowl also helps to guide food onto the spoon and the transparent sides allow for easy viewing of the food. You can feel good knowing the Baby Dipper is lead-free and phthalate-free and also shatter proof.

Barbara has graciously agreed to provide a Baby Dipper bowl and spoon as part of our SIDS Awareness giveaway. You can find more information on the Baby Dipper at www.babydipper.com.

Winner: Meredith who entered a comment

Babble Soft

No matter what you’ve heard, it’s not a year’s supply of diapers or a baby wipe warmer that will make the biggest difference in your baby’s life – the most important tools of parenthood are actually organization and coordination. Unfortunately, these things don’t always come naturally. That’s why Babble Soft provides easy-to-use software applications with organization and coordination in mind. It doesn’t matter whether you are a stay-at-home parent scheduling your day or if you are returning to work and need to coordinate with a nanny or other caregiver – their tools provide everything you need to give your life that perfect level of structure.

Babble Soft online software allows you to track feedings, pumping, diapers, and medication combined with an online baby album for baby’s first year. For parents on the go, Baby Insights mobile grants you access to the same information you get at home no matter where you are on your iPhone, Blackberry and other mobiles.

Three lucky winners will get a FREE three-month subscription to Babble Soft to track your baby’s sleep, feedings, pumping, medication doses, etc. You can find more information about Babble Soft at www.babblesoft.com.

Winner: Danielle who entered a comment, followed on Twiter, tweeted about the giveaway and became a fan of all three Facebook Fan pages.

Winner: Debbie who entered a comment, followed on Twitter, tweeted about the giveaway and subscribed to the blogs.

Winner: Susan who entered a comment and tweeted about the giveaway.

Caution: Children Should Come with Warning Labels

Heartwarming, funny, charming and brutally honest book by Patti McKenna about the true adventures of parenting. McKenna chronicles her experiences raising four children with humor and graciousness. Also the mother of a child lost to SIDS, McKenna donates the proceeds from the sales of this book to SIDS Research. The Baby Sleep Site™ has donated three copies of this book to the giveaway.

Winner: Jessica who entered a comment and subscribed to the blog.

Winner: Karrie who entered a comment, subscribed to the blogs and blogged about the giveaway.

Winner: Janet who entered a comment, stumbled the post, followed on Twitter, tweeted and blogged about the giveaway.

And, last, but obviously not least:

Pick Nick’s Brain

After sleep coach and owner, Nicole Johnson, overcame her son’s sleeping issues in a way that complemented her own parenting style, and after such a happy success, she knew it was her mission to help other tired parents “find their child’s sleep.” Your baby’s sleep shouldn’t be stressful and Pick Nick’s Brain strives to provide a strong, non-judgmental, support network to help you and your family sleep better. Our website has helped countless families through free online articles, step-by-step e-Books, and private and personalized sleep consulting services.

Three (3) people will get one FREE e-mail sleep consultation to help with your sleep struggles. You’d be surprised how far you can get in just one e-mail! If you already have an account, your account will be credited.

Winner: Lee Ann who entered a comment, is a The Baby Sleep Site™ Member and became a fan of my Facebook page.

Winner: MCZ who entered a comment.

Winner: Claire who entered a comment

Congratulations to all the winners and thanks to everyone who participated and help spread the word about SIDS Awareness Month!

Don’t try to figure out the title of this post. I just liked it. I used TheKnot to help plan my wedding (5+ years ago), but only recently heard of the spin-off TheBump. TheBump is holding their first annual Mommy Blog Awards and someone nominated this blog! I’m very honored and wondered if you wanted to second (or third or forty-fourth) the nomination? If you enjoy this blog, please take a few seconds to add to the nominations (and any other Mommy Blogs you enjoy!). Here’s the link:

Visit TheBump to nominate a Mommy Blog!

Have a great weekend! And, oh, did everyone NOT understand that you can win a $75 Target Gift Card or $50 Target Gift Card by entering the giveaway? It’s really easy and right now there is a 29% chance you’ll win (that’s better than 1 in 3!) given not too many people are entering! Usually there are at least over 200 entries, so I’m wondering if people really saw all the prizes involved here. There will be 13 winners total. Good luck! But, you have to enter to win!

Learn about SIDS and enter the giveaway for a chance to win money and lots of great prizes!

October is SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome) Awareness Month and because safe baby sleep habits are just as important as healthy sleep habits, I wanted to take some time to provide you with SIDS facts and resources.  The rate of reported SIDS deaths has been declining in recent years and in part that has been attributed to the “Back to Sleep” Campaign and increased awareness around sleep safety for babies.  Research continues into the possible reasons why there remain significantly higher rates of SIDS among certain ethnic groups.

Additionally, as of today, I am going to be doing another giveaway with some great sponsors who agreed to be part of the SIDS Awareness giveaway as a way to help promote further awareness about safe sleeping habits and understanding SIDS.  The giveaway begins today and runs through Sunday, October 18, 8:59 PM EDT. During this time we will be tweeting and posting on our Facebook page SIDS facts and resource links to help spread the word about October as SIDS Awareness month.

SIDS Facts

What is SIDS?
SIDS is the diagnosis given when an infant under one year of age dies suddenly and there is no other medial explanation for the death after a complete examination.

What causes SIDS?
New studies and research suggest that some SIDS babies are born with brain abnormalities that make them suspectible to SIDS as infants.  These studies have shown that many SIDS infants have abnormalities in the portion of their brain that controls breathing and waking during sleep. Babies born with other brain or body defects may also be more prone to sudden death.

SIDS is most likely to occur in infants between one month and 12 months of age with the majority of deaths occurring between 2 and 4 months of age.  The risk of SIDS diminishes significantly after the first year.

Can SIDS be prevented?

While there is no way to completely prevent SIDS, there are measures parents can take to help lower the risk of SIDS.

• Place babies on their backs to sleep. If baby falls asleep on his tummy, gently roll baby onto his back.

• Baby should sleep on a firm, flat mattress. Avoid using soft, fluffy or loose bedding that can increase suffocation risks. Consider using a sleeper or other sleep clothing as an alternative to blankets. (See the Merino Wool Baby Sleeping bag as part of our giveaway.)

• Keep baby’s room temperature warm but not too warm. Overheated babies are more likely to go into a deep sleep from which it may be hard to wake up.

• Babies with mothers who smoked during pregnancy are three times more likely to die from SIDS. Exposure to passive smoke around babies can double their risk of SIDS.

• Good prenatal care and breastfeeding can also help lower the risks of SIDS.

Source: www.FirstCandle.org

Other Resources:

• Information on SIDS/SUIDS and Still birth- FirstCandle.org

• National Sudden & Unexpected Infant/Child Death & Pregnancy Loss Resource Center- www.SIDSCenter.org

• National Institute of Child Health & Human Development- SIDS “Back to Sleep” Campaign- www.nichd.nih.gov/sids/

October Giveaway Prizes

I am pleased to be partnering with these sponsors for this important giveaway.

Target Gift Cards We have two Target Gift Cards up for grabs donated by The Baby Sleep Site™. With the holidays just around the corner, who wouldn’t find it helpful to have a gift card on hand to help with the gift shopping? One winner will receive a $50 gift card and another will win a $75 gift card! You can check out all the great stuff Target offers over at www.Target.com

 
Merino Kids Cocooi Babywrap from BabySleepBags.com

These adorable and cuddly soft baby swaddlers are perfect for swaddling newborn babies up to two or three months old. Made from allergy safe New Zealand merino wool, these swaddlers are perfect for any season as merino has the unique ability to help regulate body temperature and reduce the risks of  overheating.  Baby has the freedom to move naturally while swaddle much like they did while in the womb. Merino has a silky soft texture, is lightweight and comfortable to wear without itch making it safe to use for babies with eczema, allergies and sensitive skin. Merino is also naturally fire resistant.  These baby wraps are available through their online store at www.babysleepbags.com.

Good Nite Lite

The Good Nite Lite is the perfect nightlight for helping babies and toddler which helps promote a child’s ability to get into a healthy sleep pattern.  This nightlight features a nighttime moon light that is set at bedtime to give off a soft blue glow that provides enough light to soothe your child but is not too bright as to inhibit sleeping. Parents can then set the light for a specific wake-up time and the sun lights up letting your baby or toddler learn and understand that until the sun lights up, it is still sleep time. The Good Nite Lite is a great visual cue for young children to begin moving from waking up too early and interfering with getting a full night’s rest. You can find more information and ordering this product at www.goodnitelite.com.

Sounds for Silence- Baby Settling Program for Sleeping

This program was developed by Dr. Harry Zehnwirth, an experienced Pediatrician. Includes a unique combination of blended and layered sounds to distract, engage and soothe unsettled babies.  Also includes a no nonsense book for parents with information and practical advice to help parents better understand their babies and how they can help soothe and comfort them. The book covers such topics as  Intuition, Infant irritability, Strategies for managing irritability, Baby sleep and settling, and The preterm infant (prematurity). You can order this product directly from Amazon: Sounds for Silence.

Nature’s Paradise Organics

Nature’s Paradise Organics provides safe & effective organic skin care products which are all USDA Certified Organic. Their products are chemical free, vegan approved and sustainable.

Nature’s Paradise has been kind enough  to offer one Baby Organic Kit which includes Conditioning Shampoo & Body Wash, Lotion, Diaper Cream, Baby Powder, Baby Coconut Oil and  Hand Sanitizer. Great starter kit or gift for Mom’s who care about the quality of skin care for their baby’s delicate skin. All Certified USDA Organic.  This Gift set comes packaged in a eco-friendly, recyclable box with a clear top and a natural bow tie.  Available and in Coconut or Unscented. You can find more organic skin care products on Nature’s Paradise website.

Baby Dipper Bowl and Spoon

The Baby Dipper spoon and bowl combo is the genius invention by a mother of two sets of twins which makes it no surprise at all that this set makes feeding baby easy and is perfect to assist toddlers with self-feeding. Barbara Schantz invented the Baby Dipper Bowl as a triangular-shaped bowl which enables parent’s to feed with one hand while keeping the other hand free.  I’ve tried this bowl with my own son and found it to a huge help at feeding time.  The Baby Dipper features a non-slip base which keeps it in place as either me or my son scoops food out of it- making it especially handy for helping my son learn to feed himself. The contoured interior of this bowl also helps to guide food onto the spoon and the transparent sides allow for easy viewing of the food. You can feel good knowing the Baby Dipper is lead-free and phthalate-free and also shatter proof.

Barbara has graciously agreed to provide a Baby Dipper bowl and spoon as part of our SIDS Awareness giveaway. You can find more information on the Baby Dipper at www.babydipper.com.

Babble Soft

No matter what you’ve heard, it’s not a year’s supply of diapers or a baby wipe warmer that will make the biggest difference in your baby’s life – the most important tools of parenthood are actually organization and coordination. Unfortunately, these things don’t always come naturally. That’s why Babble Soft provides easy-to-use software applications with organization and coordination in mind. It doesn’t matter whether you are a stay-at-home parent scheduling your day or if you are returning to work and need to coordinate with a nanny or other caregiver – their tools provide everything you need to give your life that perfect level of structure.

Babble Soft online software allows you to track feedings, pumping, diapers, and medication combined with an online baby album for baby’s first year. For parents on the go, Baby Insights mobile grants you access to the same information you get at home no matter where you are on your iPhone, Blackberry and other mobiles.

Three lucky winners will get a FREE three-month subscription to Babble Soft to track your baby’s sleep, feedings, pumping, medication doses, etc. You can find more information about Babble Soft at www.babblesoft.com.

And, last, but obviously not least:

Pick Nick’s Brain

After sleep coach and owner, Nicole Johnson, overcame her son’s sleeping issues in a way that complemented her own parenting style, and after such a happy success, she knew it was her mission to help other tired parents “find their child’s sleep.” Your baby’s sleep shouldn’t be stressful and Pick Nick’s Brain strives to provide a strong, non-judgmental, support network to help you and your family sleep better. Our website has helped countless families through free online articles, step-by-step e-Books, and private and personalized sleep consulting services.

Three (3) people will get one FREE e-mail sleep consultation to help with your sleep struggles. You’d be surprised how far you can get in just one e-mail! If you already have an account, your account will be credited.

Deadline to enter is October 18, 2009, 8:59 p.m. EDT.

Here is how you can enter:

1. Leave a comment. – 1 entry

2. Stumble this post. – 1 entry (Leave a comment that you stumbled)

3. Follow one of our sponsors on Twitter and tweet about it. For example: Just followed @BabyDipper for @PickNicksBrain October Giveaway #babysleep. (Be sure to include the tag #babysleep in your tweet so we can track it!)

The following sponsors are on Twitter (and you can receive one (1) entry per sponsor followed):

Pick Nick’s Brain, BabyDipper, GoodNiteLite

Sample Tweet: “I just entered the SIDS Awareness Month October Giveaway by The Baby Sleep Site™! http://tinyurl.com/yz8xssd”

4. Tweet about this giveaway with a link back to this post and the tag #babysleep. The tag will allow us to track and locate your tweet entry. – 1 entry (You can enter as many times as you wish! Tweet daily to help raise SIDS awareness!)

Sample Tweet: “I just entered the SIDS Awareness Month October Giveaway by The Baby Sleep Site™! http://tinyurl.com/yz8xssd”

5. Subscribe to this blog or the Baby Dipper blog. One (1) entry for each blog subscription. Please post in the comments which blogs you subscribed to.

Pick Nick’s Brain Blog via RSS or via E-Mail, Baby Dipper Blog

6. Become a Facebook Fan of any of the sponsors and get one entry per Fan Page you join. Please post in the comments which Facebook Fan Pages you belong to.

Pick Nick’s Brain Facebook Fan Page

Baby Dipper Facebook Fan Page

GoodNiteLite Facebook Fan Page

7. Blog about SIDS Awareness month and this giveaway and submit a link to the blog post in the comments – 10 entries

Good luck to everyone and thank you for helping us spread the word about SIDS!

Thank you to those who completed the recent survey for The Baby Sleep Site™! I have contacted the two $50 Target Gift Card winners via e-mail, so please check your in-boxes. The feedback was extremely valuable and I am very appreciative! There were so many great comments. Here was one of my favorites:

“I think you are GREAT! Love the material. After reading many books, you finally provided me with real material I can use. Your responses to my questions surpassed my expectations. WONDERFUL.”

Here are some of the results of the survey:

* 37% of you came to the site for night-waking and 24% nap issues. No surprise there!

* Most people want more information about naps and sleep training methods.

* Everyone who has used the Sleep Helpdesk Consulting Services have been happy with the results (i.e. not one complaint), but many of you feel they are too expensive.

* Most were very satisfied with my e-Books, but many of you have already read too many books, don’t have time to read, or feel they are too expensive.

* 60% of you want a place to communicate with one another on a message board / forum.

* 52% of you are interested in tele-seminars, while 25% of you are interested in premium content.

And, now for some good news and bad news! The good news is I heard you loud and clear about the pricing on my e-Books. To be honest, it’s been the hardest part about having this website is how to price those. On the one hand, someone can buy your book and e-mail it to their 100 closest friends (not that you are technically supposed to or anything) as opposed to letting one neighbor borrow a physical book. On the other hand, you want it to be affordable to a lot of people. Too cheap and people think it’s horrible before they even buy it (some psychology about sales). I have also compiled what I have read in many sources into one easy-to-read book, so the goal is to save you from buying 3-4 full-length books and instead, just one quick-read (but useful) book, but many of you have already read several books. Tricky.

All that to say that we now have “vacation specials” going on and you can purchase the books at a discount until August 1st (and I promise the 100% guarantee is legit and all you need to do is e-mail me!). If pricing goes well, I may need to make a permanent change. Go ahead and take a look and see for yourself:

Help Your Child Sleep, a Step-by-Step Guide – For those persistent nighttime struggles with a touch of naps

Mastering Naps & Schedules, including over 40 sample schedules

And, now for the bad news. Unfortunately, I’m unable to change the sleep consultation prices. The Sleep Helpdesk is pretty busy, already, and I spend a good 20-30 minutes on many of the e-mail responses (and I type fast!) as they are highly personalized, so I simply can’t afford to reduce the prices. I think many people think two e-mail (which costs $19.95 right now) won’t be enough, but you’d really be surprised how far we can get in just one e-mail!

Lastly, for those who don’t quite understand how the Sleep Helpdesk works (and want to know), I’ve made a tour, video and test login for you to test drive. I welcome feedback on making it more useful, if you have any. Just comment below!

I have taken this survey very seriously. Stay tuned as I work on what’s next for The Baby Sleep Site™ and I want to thank you for your continued participation in the The Baby Sleep Site™ community! I hope you are finding all the resources you need. Be sure to e-mail me with any article ideas if there is anything you have been looking for and haven’t been able to find.

And, finally, a quick reminder that I will be on a much-needed vacation July 25-Aug 1, so the Sleep Helpdesk will be closed, but you can always enter information and I’ll catch up when I get back! If you decide to purchase a 30-day unlimited e-mail package, I will extend your subscription to accommodate my vacation.

Next week you’ll still get the next installment of the Night Terrors and Nightmares Series, even though I will be on the beach. Enjoy! May everyone sleep well while I’m gone!

Thank you again for making the recent Father’s Day giveaway so much fun! Now you have another chance to win a $50 Target gift card! I am always looking for the next thing to improve the The Baby Sleep Site™ website and help more parents with their sleep troubles. I have some ideas, but want to know from YOU, who matter and who need the help most, what YOU want next from us. Please take this short and sweet 10 question multiple choice survey for a chance to win a $50 Target gift card! Two lucky winners will be randomly drawn. Deadline to enter is Sunday, July 19, at 11:59 p.m.

Click here to take our survey

I also wanted to remind you that I will be taking a much-needed vacation this month. I will be gone July 25-Aug 1, so if you are considering getting private, personalized help for your baby or toddler’s sleep issues, please make sure you give us time before my vacation. Visit the baby and toddler sleep consultation services page for more information. If you decide to purchase a 30-day unlimited e-mail package, I will extend your subscription to accommodate my vacation. It might be a great way to get 2 weeks of help with a small break to let things settle with an additional 2 weeks after I get back. I do ask for patience when I get back to give me a few days to catch up, but I promise I will work hard at catching up quickly. Subscription packages will get highest priority.

Lastly, I wanted to let everyone know that Babble Soft, home of the premiere baby care software Baby Insights and Baby Say Cheese, is looking for a new home, so if you ever wanted to own your own business, now might be a great time! If not, if you know of anyone who might be interested, please forward a link to the announcement here:

Babble Soft Looking for a New Home

Remember, if you have any post ideas, please either e-mail asknicole [at] picknicksbrain [dot] com or leave a comment below!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Father’s Day! Ours was very nice! We went out to dinner to a Japanese restaurant with Teppan Tables (picture to the right), where they cook in front of you. My husband and I had our first date at one and we go back a lot. The boys hadn’t been since the eldest was very young and they LOVED it! The 16 month old kept saying “oooohhh!” and my eldest used chopsticks for the first time (they had helpers on them). I was proud of them for trying something new and we were given a compliment how well behaved they were. It was fun! I hope everyone’s Father’s Day was great! Please share what you did (good or bad) below in the comments! I’d love to hear about it.

Thank you to everyone who entered the Father’s Day giveaway! As always, I love giving back to the The Baby Sleep Site™ readers! We’ll have another giveaway in the Fall and next week we get back to the topic of sleep, but until then, below are the winners to the contest, whom have all been contacted via e-mail:

Nature’s Paradise Organics: Baby Organic Gift Basket

Nature’s Paradise Organics provides safe & effective organic skin care products which are all USDA Certified Organic. Their products are chemical free, vegan approved and sustainable.
The folks over at Nature’s Paradise were kind enough to offer to giveaway one Baby Organic Kit which includes Conditioning Shampoo & Body Wash, Lotion, Diaper Cream, Baby Powder, Baby Coconut Oil and Hand Sanitizer. All Certified USDA Organic. This Gift set comes packaged in a eco-friendly, recyclable box with a clear top and a natural bow tie. Available and in Coconut or Unscented. You can find more organic skin care products on Nature’s Paradise website. Remember, Nature’s Paradise Organics is offering 15% off any order for The Baby Sleep Site™’s readers. Just enter the coupon code: picknicksbrain at checkout.

Winner: Terri who entered a comment

PuddleFoot Organic Tees for Tots

These adorable baby t-shirts are so soft and stretchy with that worn in feel that it will be all you can do not to eat baby up when wearing one of these. Made from 100% organic Supima cotton, these t-shirts are American made and dyed and printed with earthy friendly dyes and inks. You can feel good about your baby wearing a PuddleFoot tee knowing that no harmful toxins or pesticides are in contact with baby’s sensitive skin. Puddlefoot has been so kind to give one of Puddlefoot’s Squash Infant T-shirt for our Father’s Day giveaway. This t-shirt is an ultra-soft organic baby rib cotton t-shirt in Sage Blue with the cutest Summer Squash pictured on the front.

Winner: Ange who became a Facebook fan of The Baby Sleep Site™ and Baby Dipper

The Baby Dipper Bowl and Spoon

The Baby Dipper spoon and bowl combo is the genius invention by a mother of two sets of twins which makes it no surprise at all that this set makes feeding baby easy and is perfect to assist toddlers with self-feeding. Barbara Schantz invented the Baby Dipper Bowl as a triangular-shaped bowl which enables parents to feed with one hand while keeping the other hand free. The Baby Dipper features a non-slip base which keeps it in place as either you or your toddler scoops food out of it. The contoured interior of this bowl also helps to guide food onto the spoon and the transparent sides allow for easy viewing of the food. And of course, as a mother who is concerned with all the toxins and chemical that our kids are exposed to these days, you can feel good knowing the Baby Dipper is lead-free and phthalate-free and also shatter proof.

Barbara graciously agreed to provide a Baby Dipper bowl and spoon set to one lucky winner of our Father’s Day giveaway. You can find more information on the Baby Dipper at www.babydipper.com.

Winner: Sandy who left a comment

L’il Monkeys Personalized Fleece Blankets

These cute and cuddly waffle fleece baby blankets are personalized with hand cut letters by owner and creator Andi, who is a mom of twin girls. Along with the name of your precious l’il monkey on this blanket, these blankets are made from the softest, anti-pill waffle fleece with different colored and textured ribbons around the edges make them a perfect for covering baby while in the stroller or for tummy time.

Andi was extremely kind to offer one of her personalized L’il Monkeys blankets to one lucky winner. The winner will be able to contact Andi directly for assistance in creating a blanket as unique as your little one.

Please visit them at www.lilmonkeys.ca for more adorable pictures of L’il Monkey’s blankets!

Winner: Michele P. who had multiple entries by entering a comment, became a Facebook fan of The Baby Sleep Site™, Puddlefoot and Baby Dipper, and tweeted about the giveaway numerous times.

Photo Baby-NightLights

Baby-NightLights.com offers parents a chance to turn your child’s personal snapshot into a custom photo night light. These adorable lights are a new and fun ways to add light and life to baby’s room. It takes three steps on Baby-NightLights.com and it’s easy to do. Upload your photo, crop it and approve it. In about a week you’ll receive your child’s picture mounted into a museum style night light frame. Creating a custom photo Baby Night Light is the perfect gift for any occasion.

Nightlights can be helpful tools as part of your baby’s or toddler’s nighttime environment. Nightlights provide low-level light which can help with babies who might be anxious of being in the dark and may work to soothe them back to sleep if they wake at night. Nightlights also enable parents to check on baby at night without turning on brighter hallway or other nearby lights.

Steve graciously agreed to provide a photo baby night-light as part of our giveaway. Log onto www.baby-nightlights.com for more information.

Winner: Pamela who entered a comment

Babble Soft

No matter what you’ve heard, it’s not a year’s supply of diapers or a baby wipe warmer that will make the biggest difference in your baby’s life – the most important tools of parenthood are actually organization and coordination. Unfortunately, these things don’t always come naturally. That’s why Babble Soft provides easy-to-use software applications with organization and coordination in mind. It doesn’t matter whether you are a stay-at-home parent scheduling your day or if you are returning to work and need to coordinate with a nanny or other caregiver – their tools provide everything you need to give your life that perfect level of structure.

Babble Soft online software allows you to track feedings, pumping, diapers, and medication combined with an online baby album for baby’s first year. For parents on the go, Baby Insights mobile grants you access to the same information you get at home no matter where you are on your iPhone, Blackberry and other mobiles.

Three lucky winners received a FREE three-month subscription to Babble Soft to track your baby’s sleep, feedings, pumping, medication doses, etc. You can find more information about Babble Soft at www.babblesoft.com.

Winners:

Elizabeth, who also had multiple entries becoming a fan on our Facebook pages and writing up a blog post on her blog.

And, last, but obviously not least :

The Baby Sleep Site™

After sleep coach and owner, Nicole Johnson, overcame her son’s sleeping issues in a way that complemented her own parenting style, and after such a happy success, she knew it was her mission to help other tired parents “find their child’s sleep.” Your baby’s sleep shouldn’t be stressful and The Baby Sleep Site™ strives to provide a strong, non-judgmental, support network to help you and your family sleep better. Our website has helped countless families through free online articles, step-by-step e-Books, and private and personalized sleep consulting services.

Three (3) people received one FREE e-mail sleep consultation to help with your sleep struggles. You’d be surprised how far you can get in just one e-mail! If you already have an account, your account was credited.

Winners:

Rikka, who followed all of the sponsors on Twitter, tweeted about the giveaway, and became of fan of the The Baby Sleep Site™ Facebook page

Congratulations to all the winners!!

The Mother’s Day Giveaway was so much fun and such a great success, that it seemed only right that I have another one in honor of all those fathers out there. I am excited to highlight some truly wonderful giveaway items that have been graciously provided by our giveaway sponsors. There will be eleven winners chosen at random (using random.org) and you have the opportunity to enter multiple times in a variety of ways. Read below for descriptions of the fabulous items for this Happy Father’s Day giveaway:

Nature’s Paradise Organics:  Baby Organic Gift Basket

Nature’s Paradise Organics provides safe & effective organic skin care products which are all USDA Certified Organic. Their products are chemical free, vegan approved and sustainable.
The folks over at Nature’s Paradise have been kind enough  to offer to giveaway one Baby Organic Kit which includes Conditioning Shampoo & Body Wash,  Lotion,  Diaper Cream,  Baby Powder,  Baby Coconut Oil and  Hand Sanitizer . Great starter kit or gift for Mom’s who care about the quality of skin care for their baby’s delicate skin. All Certified USDA Organic.  This Gift set comes packaged in a eco-friendly, recyclable box with a clear top and a natural bow tie.  Available and in Coconut or Unscented. You can find more organic skin care products on Nature’s Paradise website and Nature’s Paradise Organics is offering 15% off any order for The Baby Sleep Site™’s readers. Just enter the coupon code: picknicksbrain at checkout.

PuddleFoot Organic Tees for Tots

These adorable baby t-shirts are so soft and stretchy with that worn in feel that it will be all you can do not to eat baby up when wearing one of these. Made from 100% organic Supima cotton, these t-shirts are American made and dyed and printed with earthy friendly dyes and inks. You can feel good about your baby wearing a PuddleFoot tee knowing that no harmful toxins or pesticides are in contact with baby’s sensitive skin.  Owner and artist Suzi MacDougall was inspired by the arrival of her sons to combine her love of drawing and appreciation for nature and animals to create the heart-warming characters which grace PuddleFoot t-shirts.

We encourage you to take a peek at PuddleFoot’s other absolutely huggable t-shirt designs at www.puddlefoot.com.

Suzi has been so kind to offer one of Puddlefoot’s Squash Infant T-shirts for our Father’s Day giveaway. This t-shirt is an ultra-soft organic baby rib cotton t-shirt in Sage Blue with the cutest Summer Squash pictured on the front. What a great way to get baby to love his vegetables!

The Baby Dipper Bowl and Spoon

The Baby Dipper spoon and bowl combo is the genius invention by a mother of two sets of twins which makes it no surprise at all that this set makes feeding baby easy and is perfect to assist toddlers with self-feeding. Barbara Schantz invented the Baby Dipper Bowl as a triangular-shaped bowl which enables parent’s to feed with one hand while keeping the other hand free.  How many times have you tried to scoop out food for baby only to have the bowl be pushed and slide away from you? The Baby Dipper features a non-slip base which keeps it in place as either you or your toddler scoops food out of it. The contoured interior of this bowl also helps to guide food onto the spoon and the transparent sides allow for easy viewing of the food. And of course, as a mother who is concerned with all the toxins and chemical that our kids are exposed to these days, you can feel good knowing the Baby Dipper is lead-free and phthalate-free and also shatter proof.

Barbara has graciously agreed to provide a Baby Dipper bowl and spoon set to one lucky winner of our Father’s Day giveaway. You can find more information on the Baby Dipper at www.babydipper.com.

L’il Monkeys Personalized Fleece Blankets

These cute and cuddly waffle fleece baby blankets are personalized with hand cut letters by owner and creator Andi, who is a mom of twin girls. Along with the name of your precious l’il monkey on this blanket, these blankets are made from the softest, anti-pill waffle fleece with different colored and textured ribbons around the edges make them a perfect for covering baby while in the stroller or for tummy time.

Andi has been extremely kind to offer one of her personalized L’il Monkeys blankets to one lucky winner. The winner will be able to contact Andi directly for assistance in creating a blanket as unique as your little one.

Please visit them at www.lilmonkeys.ca for more adorable pictures of L’il Monkey’s blankets!

Photo Baby-NightLights

Baby-NightLights.com offers parents a chance to turn your child’s personal snapshot into a custom photo night light. These adorable lights are a new and fun ways to add light and life to baby’s room. It takes three steps on Baby-NightLights.com and it’s easy to do. Upload your photo, crop it and approve it. In about a week you’ll receive your child’s picture mounted into a museum style night light frame. Creating a custom photo Baby Night Light is the perfect gift for any occasion.

Nightlights can be helpful tools as part of your baby’s or toddler’s nighttime environment. Nightlights provide low-level light which can help with babies who might be anxious of being in the dark and may work to soothe them back to sleep if they wake at night. Nightlights also enable parents to check on baby at night without turning on brighter hallway or other nearby lights.

Steve has graciously agreed to provide a photo baby night-light as part of our giveaway. Log onto www.baby-nightlights.com for more information.

Babble Soft

No matter what you’ve heard, it’s not a year’s supply of diapers or a baby wipe warmer that will make the biggest difference in your baby’s life – the most important tools of parenthood are actually organization and coordination. Unfortunately, these things don’t always come naturally. That’s why Babble Soft provides easy-to-use software applications with organization and coordination in mind. It doesn’t matter whether you are a stay-at-home parent scheduling your day or if you are returning to work and need to coordinate with a nanny or other caregiver – their tools provide everything you need to give your life that perfect level of structure.

Babble Soft online software allows you to track feedings, pumping, diapers, and medication combined with an online baby album for baby’s first year. For parents on the go, Baby Insights mobile grants you access to the same information you get at home no matter where you are on your iPhone, Blackberry and other mobiles.

Two lucky winners will get a FREE three-month subscription to Babble Soft to track your baby’s sleep, feedings, pumping, medication doses, etc. You can find more information about Babble Soft at www.babblesoft.com.

And, last, but obviously not least :

The Baby Sleep Site™

After sleep coach and owner, Nicole Johnson, overcame her son’s sleeping issues in a way that complemented her own parenting style, and after such a happy success, she knew it was her mission to help other tired parents “find their child’s sleep.” Your baby’s sleep shouldn’t be stressful and The Baby Sleep Site™ strives to provide a strong, non-judgmental, support network to help you and your family sleep better. Our website has helped countless families through free online articles, step-by-step e-Books, and private and personalized sleep consulting services.

Three (3) people will get one FREE e-mail sleep consultation to help with your sleep struggles. You’d be surprised how far you can get in just one e-mail! If you already have an account, your account will be credited.

Deadline to enter is Sunday, June 21st, 11:59 PM EDT.

Here is how you can enter:

1. Leave a comment- 1 entry

2. Tweet about this giveaway with a link back to this post and the tag #picknicksbrain. The tag will allow us to track and locate your tweet entry. – 1 entry

3. Follow one of our sponsors on Twitter and tweet about it. For example: Just followed @BabyDipper for @PickNicksBrain Father’s Day Giveaway #picknicksbrain. (Be sure to include the tag #picknicksbrain in your tweet so we can track it!)

The following sponsors are on Twitter (and you can receive one (1) entry per sponsor followed):

The Baby Sleep Site™, L’il Monkeys,  BabyDipper,  BabyNightLights

4. Subscribe to this blog or the Baby Dipper blog. One (1) entry for each blog subscription. Please post in the comments which blogs you subscribed to.

The Baby Sleep Site™ Blog via RSS or via E-Mail, Baby Dipper Blog

5. Become a Facebook Fan of any of the sponsors and get one entry per Fan Page you join. Please post in the comments which Facebook Fan Pages you belong to.

The Baby Sleep Site™ Facebook Fan Page

Baby Dipper Facebook Fan Page

PuddleFoot Organic Baby T-shirts Facebook Fan Page

L’il Monkeys Facebook Group

6. Blog about the giveaway and submit a link to the blog post in the comments – 10 entries

Good luck, everyone!!

First, I have to apologize that there will be no new article this week. My youngest son has Roseola (a virus where his 3 1/2 day fever went up to 103 after which he broke out in a rash) and his molars are coming in (and have been since January but really bad right now), my day job has been crazy (yes I’d like this site to be my day job, but for now it’s my night job until I get more traffic here — thank you for all of the referrals!), and my poor dog is having surgery tomorrow (tore her ACL and meniscus). Needless to say that all I had time for was my no-cry nap method case study…and…this blog post announcing the winners to the Mother’s Day Giveaway!

I hope everyone had a wonderful and relaxing Mother’s Day! Mine was very nice with my family. My husband cooked breakfast and dinner for me and my in-laws. I had a very nice walk with my boys, too. The boys made me a planter with hand prints and my husband gave me a gift certificate for a personal chef! Woohoo! I can’t wait to use it.

Without further ado, here are the winners to the giveaway! Unfortunately, no one posted their twitter link as a comment, so I don’t have a way to contact anyone who may have tweeted about the giveaway. Sorry about that! I used the random.org generator to generate random numbers to choose comments for the winners and here they are:

1. $35 gift card to Amazon:

Comment #34 – Jill
Comment #35 – Emily

2. One FREE e-mail sleep consultation to help with your sleep struggles

Comment #31 – Megan
Comment #17 – Joanne
Comment #23 – Wendy
Comment #10 – Melissa
Comment #4 – Cindy

3. One FREE three-month subscription to Babble Soft to track your baby’s sleep, feedings, pumping, medication doses, etc.

Comment #20 – Jess
Comment #22 – Ashley
Comment #38 – Kerry
Comment #41 – Michelle
Comment #15 – Audrey

Congratulations! I have contacted the winners via e-mail. I’m sure I will have another giveaway around Father’s Day for all the dads out there, so stay tuned and sleep well!

I’ve been so busy with my free nap sessions, my baby temperament series, product development at Babble Soft, my sleep helpdesk, my day job, and oh, being a mother and a wife, that I honestly did not put too much thought into what I should do for Mother’s Day. Until now.

Mother’s Day is a great time to give back to the The Baby Sleep Site™ community, since I know how hard each and every one of you works, so I’m having a giveaway! To keep it simple, I will choose 15 winners and here’s how:

Random 2 people to comment below will receive a $35 gift card to Amazon

Random 3 people to tweet about my free nap sessions will receive a $10 gift card to Amazon

– Here is an idea of what to tweet: “Have you signed up? FREE info sessions about naps, including no-cry case study – http://www.babynapswell.com Pls RT” Post the twitter link below.

Random 5 people (not counting the twitter links) to comment below will get one FREE e-mail sleep consultation to help with your sleep struggles

– You’d be surprised how far we can get in just one e-mail! If you already have an account, I’ll credit your account.

Random 5 people (not counting the twitter links) to comment below will get one FREE three-month subscription to Babble Soft to track your baby’s sleep, feedings, pumping, medication doses, etc.

 
Deadline is Sunday, May 10th 11:59 P.M. EDT

You can enter more than once, but only once per method (i.e. only one comment and one tweet).

Happy Mother’s Day!!!