Beginning May 27 and running through June 10, pediped™ Footwear will host a Purchases with Purpose fundraiser to benefit the Make-A-Wish Foundation.  During this period, select styles of both Originals and Flex shoes will be marked down.  Fifty percent of sales from this fundraiser will be donated to the charity to help grant the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions.

pediped™ very rarely marks down the price of their shoes.  In fact, this will mark the third time in the company’s five-year history that such an event will occur.  The first two events also benefited the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

“In these times, it’s more important than ever to give back to the community and bring joy to children who need it.  We hope people will go online to shop, and together we can all make a difference!” said pediped™ President Angela Edgeworth.

pediped™ will host several different fundraisers throughout the year to raise money for the Make-A-Wish Foundation.  In 2008, the company raised more than $111,000 to help grant 15 wishes and has aspirations of surpassing that figure in 2009.  Information on current and upcoming fundraisers can be found on www.pediped.com.

This week’s giveaway is a Compass B510 Booster Seat! All you have to do is log in at http://www.babygizmo.com to be entered to win.  One winner is picked at random from all the members that log in this week.  This giveaway ends next Sunday, May 31, 2009.

So, log in and let the winning begin!

Congratulations to our newest giveaway winners:  Kristen J.  from Abington, MA. and Lisa M. from Hillsboro, OR. Kristen and Lisa both won a pair of Nowali Moccasins just by logging in to http://www.babygizmo.com.

Diaper cakes are non-edible creations, resembling a tiered wedding cake, made out of diapers and fun baby essentials!  Diaper cakes have become all the rage lately at chic baby showers.  Miranda even got a diaper cake on Sex in the City a couple years ago.

A great diaper cake company we think you should know about is Diaper Cakewalk (www.diapercakewalk.com).  This online company is located just outside of Atlanta, Georgia, and has been shipping their diaper cakes all over the United States for years.

Available in 2-tiers (Mini Cake) to 5 tiered cakes, they have a choice perfect for any new mom occasion.  The 2-tiered cakes are called “poundcakes” which consist of 30-35 (size 1-2) disposable diapers and a 5-tiered cake has 120-130 diapers.  Most of the diaper cakes are constructed with premium Pampers Swaddlers, size 1-2, which fit up to 15 lbs.

Diaper Cakewalk also offers Ecofriendly Diaper Cakes that are constructed with Seventh Generation chlorine-free disposables, size 1 and Burt’s Bees baby care items.  Another unique option, which we love, is the Diaper Sampler.  Your diaper cake will be made with Pampers, Huggies & Luvs diapers, allowing mom to sample all three leading brands of diapers and choose her favorite!  Since most moms become partial to a particular diaper brand, what a great way to introduce a new mom to the different brands!

There are cakes for boys, girls and even gender neutral cakes!  Diaper Cakewalk has many pre-designed themed diaper cakes available from flowers to Jungle Safari to Under the Sea with a blue sea creatures shower theme.

Another really unique option that we LOVE is the Diaper Castle!  Available in three options, the Diaper Castles are made out of approximately 80 diapers and shaped to look like a castle complete with roof peaks and all.

Don’t see the exact theme you would like?  Diaper Cakewalk also offers a Do-It-Yourself option.  You can choose from the selection of undecorated diaper cakes and you can customize your baby diaper cake to look exactly the way you’d like (with just a little help from them – a “Decorating Hints & Tips” sheet is included free with every Do-It-Yourself Diaper Cake!)

All the diaper cakes are gift-wrapped in beautiful white tulle with a coordinating bow.  The diaper cakes are shipped to you in a large box with the “cake” padded with bubble wrap.  Our diaper cake arrived in absolute perfect condition.

Diaper Cakewalk diaper cakes make a great gift for that special mom-to-be.  With options from little “Poundcakes” to Eco-Friendly to Do-It-Yourself to even Diaper Castles, they have a great option for everyone.  The cakes run from $35 for a Poundcake to $139 for the larger choices and a whole bunch in between.  If a diaper cake was good enough for the ladies on Sex in the City, a diaper cake is good enough for your special mama-to-be!

Shop Diaper Cakes by Diaper Cakewalk

Being huge Jewel fans, we were very excited to receive an advanced copy of the album. The album is fantastic!  It is jam packed full of very soothing lullabies that both my kids and I love.  My 2 year old son’s favorite track is Twinkle Twinkle Little Star since he recognizes the song and sings along.  My 4 year old can’t seem to pick a favorite because she loves to pretend she is dancing ballet to all the different songs.

“It’s the perfect album to relax to at the end of a long day,” said Jewel.  “It’s really a mood album.  It’s great for children, but adults will love it too.  I’m really excited about it.”
Jewel is absolutely right!  I love that the album is very soothing and we love to play it when we want the kids to calm down and relax.  I’m also very excited to play the new music for my 3rd baby that I am due with in July.  I do have a sneaky suspicion that my newest addition will think that mommy sounds like Jewel when he/she is being rocked.  Who says I can’t lip-sync to Jewel for my new little one?  How can you compete with Jewel’s fabulous voice?

Lullaby was produced by Jewel and recorded at her home studio in Stephenville, Texas.  Lullaby makes a fabulous gift for any new mom, a baby shower or any music-lover.  It was released on May 5th and available at major retailers in the baby and infant departments, as well as online at jeweljk.com and iTunes.

The Compass B510 has some fabulous stand-out features that make this not only a great high back booster choice but a great travel car seat for big kids.

The head rest has state-of-the-art side impact protection using energy absorbing EPS foam (bicycle helmet foam) plus the deeper side wings provide additional support for your child. We found these “wings” are great for our tired little passengers to rest their heads while riding but don’t extend too far to interfere with the child’s side view or conversation with passengers next to them (a common complaint with other high back boosters).

The Compass B510 sports an easy to use 6 point height adjustment system that stays fully enclosed as the height is adjusted. This allows side support and protection in every position. We found the height adjustment very easy and quick to do! The seat can accommodate children 30-100 lbs and 57” tall. The B510 also has an improved belt path for a better fit for taller children. Aside from extra safety features, the B510 features a wide seat with deluxe padding for the passenger’s total comfort. Even our 8 year old testers fit in the seat with no problem. There are also flip-up arm rests to allow your child to get in and out of the seat easier plus retractable cup holders (our testers’ favorite feature!).

One of our favorite features of the Compass B510 Booster Seat is its ability to fold for travel. The Compass Booster seats are the only foldable booster seats on the market, making it a traveler’s dream. The simple fold mechanism allows you to fold up your booster to stow it away when not in use or make for easy traveling with the sold separately carrying bag.

Now, it’s still not a tiny package when folded (27” tall by 18.5” wide) but it’s better than your other booster options. Since the bottom part of the seat folds up to make it more compact, and it weighs in at less than 10 lbs, traveling with the B510 is easy. We do recommend that you purchase the Folding Compass Deluxe Booster Carry Bag though for easier air travel.

We love the Compass B510 for its safety features, kid-friendly features such as cup holders and the ability to fold to easy travel.

SHOP Compass Booster Seats

Like all Zoobie Pets, Lilly is not only an adorable ladybug, but also a comfy pillow and super-soft blanket all in one. Perfect for road excursions or just cuddling in bed. Lilly also makes a perfect baby shower gift.  Let me say that the Zoobie Pets are adorable!  They are soft, squishy and oh-so-lovable.  With animal choices including giraffes, hippos, monkeys, zebras, elephants, now a ladybug, and many more, there is sure to be a perfect choice for any child.

Click here to read our full review on Zoobie Pets!

SHOP Zoobie Pets

The new Peg Perego Tatamia is a multipurpose baby seat that is a triple threat in the world of baby gear.  This versatile seat does the duty of three pieces of baby gear that can be used from birth to preschool age.  The Tatamia works as a baby recliner, a swing, and a high chair.  This seat is perfect for those parents that don’t want to buy 3 separate pieces of baby gear and want to save space.

The first major feature of the Tatamia is the ability to use it as a baby recliner.  This option will give your baby a great resting place similar to a bouncy seat without the added features of vibration and music.  We love that this option gives baby a safe place to hang out while we enjoy a few hands-free minutes.  The baby recliner is recommended for use up to 6 months.

When your baby prefers a little movement, the chair transforms into a swing.  Now, it’s not an automatic swing but a manual swing that is similar to a soft moving pendulum. We found it easy to put the chair into swing mode but know that this chair doesn’t have a large swing like a traditional baby swing.  Even though the seat becomes a swing, it is missing the features of a full-size baby swing such as multiple speeds (remember you will be pushing this seat with your hand to get it to move), music and a baby tray.  The chair comes with a front bar that attaches to the t-bar for use when in the recliner or swing option for extra safety.  Like all baby swings, you should discontinue the swing use when your baby gets old enough to stick their arm out to try to stop the swing usually around 6-7 months.

Once your baby reaches high chair age – about 6 months – you can transform the Tatamia into a high chair to be used up to 50 lbs.  Overall, the Tatamia is loaded with features for both mom and baby.  The seat is roomy and complete with a 5-point harness and an attached t-bar to the seat for your child’s safety.  There is an adjustable footrest with three positions to grow with your child.

A beautiful leatherette seat cover easily wipes clean with a damp sponge and looks great in any kitchen.  It is available in three solid colors:  chocolate brown, white and cream/ivory.  Our favorite is the chocolate brown!

There is a one-handed recline (4 positions) in which the entire seat reclines including the footrest. It has nine different height positions to make it multifunctional and fit the height of your table or countertop.  You can also convert it into a youth chair when you remove the tray and push the chair up to the dining table.  The seat height adjustment is easy to do by pulling up on two large levers on either side to fit the chair to any dining table height.

The Tatamia sports a very large and spacious tray for plenty of room to eat and play.  There is a double tray for easy clean up with the top tray being dishwasher safe.  Note that the dishwasher safe tray may not fit in every small dishwasher because of the size.  We love that the tray cover completely covers the bottom tray and take a bit of pressure to remove.  This way our naughty little toddlers can’t easily remove the tray and throw it on the floor, or worse, at us.

There are two positions for the tray that can be changed with one hand by pressing the large button on the front of the tray with your palm and sliding back or forth.  One change we would make is to allow the tray to come a bit closer to our child so that all the food doesn’t end up on our messy eater’s lap.

So, now that some food has dropped onto your babies lap and into the seat, is it easy to clean, you ask? Well, yes and no. The fabric is easy to wipe down but the seat has many nooks and crannies to hold and hide food.

The tray is also removable with two hands by pushing the buttons on the underside of the tray and sliding it out.  For those parents that prefer to take off the tray to put your child in and take your child out of the seat, you might want to know that the tray is a bit sticky to take on and off and will take some getting used to.  It’s just not the easiest tray to put on and remove.  

Have a small kitchen or just worried about a large high chair taking up too much space?  The Tatamia has a fabulous compact fold!  This is our favorite feature!  The base of the chair has a spring loaded design that allows it to automatically fold up the base to a more compact storage size with the push of two buttons.  The tray also flips up for storage to allow you to store this high chair in a closet or pantry when not in use.  The fold really is amazing for storing this chair out of sight.

With all the plastic wheels on high chairs we have encountered and many scratches to our wood floor, we are very pleased that the Tatamia has quiet, rubber, mar-resistant wheels. We thank you! Our wood floors thank you!

A Tatamia Kit is sold separately and includes a soft, washable seat cover in orange or lime green, a multi-position ventilated hood for the recliner and a playbar toy attachment.

Even though we aren’t crazy about the “sticky” tray not being close enough to the child, the Peg Perego Tatamia is a great choice for a 3-in-1 multipurpose baby chair with its luxurious fabric, great safety features, one-hand recline, easy to do height adjustments, and fabulous compact fold!

To watch our full video review of the Peg Perego Tatamia, click the video below:

SHOP Peg Perego Tatamia

So, log in and let the winning begin!