Coming this Spring, Kushies will take environmentally friendly fashion to new heights with their fun and playful It’s My Planet 2 organic layette.

Made from 100 percent Certified Organic Cotton Interlock, It’s My Planet 2 layette features oversized graphics of the planet’s most beloved animals including tigers, elephants, zebras and rhinos. Each piece in the collection displays a fantastic multi-lingual print. A palette of soft colors is offered including pink, natural and blue. Layette items in the collection include bodysuits, long johns, sleepers, unionsuits, footed pants, gowns, hat, reversible bibs and blankets.

Available in sizes preemie to 18 months. Items in the collection have a recommended retail range of $7-$22.

Kushies has a great collection of quality baby essentials. They offer one stop shopping for all your baby needs from diapers to bibs, layette to blankets, bath towels and washcloths and more…

I love their burp cloths, blankets and sleepers. Kushies products are made with 100% quality cotton that washes up easily without shrinking or fading. Their clothes offer comfort and durability, which is ideal for a growing baby.

To get a new mom started we offer our readers the opportunity to win a Baby Essentials Gift Package.

It in we included:

• Everyday Layette Sleeper(yellow)
• Baby Cap & Booties (yellow)
• Gi Gi Giraffe – Blanket
• 2 ply Wash Cloths (Package of 3)
• Flannel No Scratch Mittens (2pk)
• Waterproof Terry Bib Newborn (2) 1 ducky, 1 fish

Thank you to our readers that blogged!

• donna44444
• sweeps4bloggers
• honestlyamy

Kushies has a great collection of quality baby essentials. They offer one stop shopping for all your baby needs from diapers to bibs, layette to blankets, bath towels and washcloths and more…

I love their burp cloths, blankets and sleepers. Kushies products are made with 100% quality cotton that washes up easily without shrinking or fading. Their clothes offer comfort and durability, which is ideal for a growing baby.

This week’s giveaway is a Baby Essentials Gift Package designed to get any new mom started.

It in we have included:

• Everyday Layette Sleeper(yellow)
• Baby Cap & Booties (yellow)
• Gi Gi Giraffe – Blanket
• 2 ply Wash Cloths (Package of 3)
• Flannel No Scratch Mittens (2pk)
• Waterproof Terry Bib Newborn (2) 1 ducky, 1 fish

Giveaway - Kushies is offering 1 Growing Your Baby reader the opportunity to win this Baby Essentials Gift Package

*To enter please visit Kushies site and tell us your favorite product *

• Extra Entrants: Blog about our giveaway! Tell your readers about our giveaway and then send us the link in a separate comment for an additional entrant to the giveaway.
• Extra Entrants: Follow us on Twitter twitter.com/growingyourbaby
• Regardless of outcome – ALL bloggers who blog about our giveaway will be linked back in our winners post.

*All comments are moderated and may not appear immediately*

Giveaway Rules

Giveaway ends Friday March 27th, 2009

Here are my 3 favorite products:

Kushies Swaddling Blanket is the ultimate blanket to keep baby snug, secure and warm. It features an egg shape with a simple wrapped top. The blanket, a perfect gift idea for the new mom, features an abstract mod design and a super soft plush lining. Available in Pink, Blue and Mocha. available January – $30

My favorite baby product for winter is the Car set bunting bag. Kushies bags provide a cozy ride for baby and an easier travelling experience for mom. The company will be offering two versions of this comfy bag; one for Summer and one for Winter. The Winter bag features a plush Sherpa inner lining, while the Summer bag (pictured) is made of lightweight fabric with a soft interlock lining. Available colors for each bag are: Green, Pink, Blue and Mocha (Winter) and Green, Pink, Blue and Latte (Summer). Available in January – $60

Kushies wearable sleep blanket offers comfort and safety for baby and convenience for mom. The stuffed sleep blanket features a zipper opening for easy placement of baby and adjustable snaps at the shoulders. The sleep blanket is designed to keep your baby warm and cozy much like a regular duvet without comprising safety in the crib. Available in Light Pink, Light Blue and Ivory. Available in January 2009 – $60

More information will be available in the near future on the Kushies website.

My son currently receives treatment from a facility that has needed to cutback on a lot of their support staff because the government did not increase their funding this last year.

At the end of my post, I appealed to some of the companies that our website has relationships with to donate new developmental toys to his facility.

The very next day I was contacted by Kushies, who generously offered to donate some of their toys from their Zolo line.

This line of toys was created with many purposes in mind. Kids will only see the bright colours and exciting characters, but parents will love some of the developmental benefits.

Kushies toys encourage many developmental skills including dexterity, flexible thinking, explorative play and independent play.

Some of the toys the facility received were:

Stacrobats – Magnetic Stacking Acrobats($52) – Build your imagination, balance, and dexterity while you play! The magnetic figures, balls, and base are easy to attach. Connect them in zillions of ways!

Pupa Musical Caterpillar($60)- Stick balls together to create & build! Squeeze to hear musical notes! Full 8-tone scale lets you play tunes, including color coded songs.

Play Garden Magnetic Activity Garden($74) – Magnetic creatures stick to the garden and the magnetic plant pieces stack and build! This unique garden window box doubles as a zippered carrying case for toddlers on the go!

Growing Your Baby thanks this amazing company for their generosity and we encourage our readers to support companies, like Kushies who give back to the community.

Hopefully some of these codes will be of use to our readers as they prepare for new babies or their family members who will be welcoming new babies.

Kushies Baby – Growing Your Baby readers will enjoy a 10% discount on any order from www.kushiesonline.com with code Hagyb08

Goober Baby – is offering Growing Your Baby readers free shipping when you enter the code ‘growing‘ at checkout

Barebabies.com – receive a 10% discount on any Kuster order by using code gyb10offkuster. receive a 10% discount off of Mutsy Products please use reader code gyb10offmutsy

Pediped – Readers will receive free shipping off any pair(s) of childrens shoes with code hapr08

Kensington Baby – Readers will enjoy a 15% on anything from this site when they use the code gyb

Protectabub – is offering 10% off any order at protectabub.com with code protect3spring

Crave Maternity – This UK company has recently launched a U.S. website for North American customers. They are offering a 25% discount plus free shipping from the UK to celebrate their launch. Shoppers should enter USA25 at checkout to receive their discount.

Ruffle Butts - if you use the discount code RB_friend at check out you will receive 10% off your whole order.

*please note – ALL of these codes are listed as a courtesy. We do not receive a percentage of the sales*

If you an online retailer and you would like us to list a code for you please e-mail me at growingyourbaby@rogers.com with the subject promo code and I will do my best to list it in a weekly post.

Here are some of the tips we have received so far:

1. Make a list and check your items off as you pack them – Heather and Carey
2. Pack a few days in advance so that your not running around the day before – Heather
3. Have enough snacks and toys – Michelle
4. Traveling with a baby? Bring a sling – sometimes baby needs to be close to mum and this way you have both hands free to do other things – Kristi
5. Bring a DVD player – Bethany, Susie and Jenn
6. Carry your travel documents in a ‘koala bag’ that can hang off your waist in order to have your hands free – Ana
7. Bring an Emergency Kit and index book with a list of dr.business cards and meds(thermometer, tylenol, first-aid stuff) – Julie
8. Bring along plenty of wipes. Children are magnets for dirt and while traveling it’s not always possible to wash properly – Rashmi
9. Use a good backpack with lots of compartments. It will help your hands stay free to hold your kids hands or push a stroller – Amy

Thank you to everyone who has entered so far.

If you would like to enter Kushies My Bag Giveaway please click here for more information.

• An insulated snack box
• An insulated medicine box
• A clean clothes bag
• A dirty clothes bag
• A soiled clothes bag with laundry bag insert
• A spare clothes bag
• A pillow and blanket
• A handy hook for hanging

Kids will love toting My Bag and moms will love keeping their child organized without needing a multitude of plastic bags!

Available at kushies.com for $79

Giveaway: We have a brown/blue bag to giveaway to one reader.

To enter, just e-mail us with Kushies in the subject line at giveaways@growingyourbaby.com and tell us your best child/baby travel tip.

Giveaway closes Thursday May 22nd

Giveaway Rules

Reviewed by Cari

Even before I had children of my own, I often bought Kushies products for baby showers and gifts. My own babies have been raised with Kushies clothing, bedding, bath towels and bibs, primarily because their products are consistently cute, practical and high quality. So, when I found out that Kushies was introducing a new line of toys called Zolo, I was very interested.

I immediately searched for the products online and began browsing their catalogue. My favourite part about the toys is that none of them require batteries. Zolo’s slogan is “baby toys for big imaginations” which I found refreshing, especially when I started recognizing simple concepts from the toys of my own childhood mixed with fresh, innovative and creative twists.

After much debate, I decided on the Zolo stacrobats, five magnetic stacking acrobats complete with three circus balls that conveniently come in their own storage case. The case doubles as a magnetic “performance stage” and the packaging cleverly suggests this product is appropriate for ages “1-100”.

The acrobats measure about 8cm tall and are in the “spread eagle” position, which allows you to stack them in various positions. They are also the perfect size, shape and weight to help little hands develop dexterity. Each acrobat wears a bright, multicoloured outfit with stripes and solids, which are very visually stimulating. They have big, friendly eyes and a little smile painted on each one’s individual skin tone. This variety and attention to detail is sure to encourage both physical and mental growth, and allow little ones to develop and express their own creativity.

Then came the real test. I served up the Stacrobats to my three-year-old son and eighteen-month-old niece… they were a hit! They enjoyed rolling the balls to each other and sticking the acrobats together in various positions. It was great to watch them come up with their own scenarios, making the acrobats “hold hands” and “catch” a ball. Even my five-month-old daughter enjoyed the bright colours and was able to easily hold an acrobat in her hands to check it out.

Kushies new Zolo line features products with bright colours, interesting patterns and a variety of textures. The fantastical creatures and whimsical designs are adorable and sure to capture the imaginations and developmental needs of children of all ages. I’m a huge fan and can’t wait to purchase more toys from this great line of products.

For more information on where to buy the Stacrobats please visit www.kushiesonline.com