droolicious : free

Freebie of the Week: Foxy Book Label

JeanneSager — Mon, 18 May 2009 17:35:00 GMT

We're big fans of the public library, but the "friends" library is just as loaded. Ready to pile up some of your favorites to take along on a playdate? Don't go anywhere without these labels.

Designed by Helen Dardik, they're up for free at her blog, Orange You Lucky, with the foxy little girl and a tiger-ific tot for boys. Yes, I said free! The retro labels are available in high resolution over at Orange, where you can download and print. If you're having trouble, she's even got her e-mail address for troubleshooting.

Their favorite tomes will never roam too far from home again.

Free Little Tikes Toys

Lisa Mulcahy — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 20:00:00 GMT

Gotta love a bargain in this economy, from now until April 4th (Saturday) with purchase of a Little Tikes toy priced up to $29.99, you get another of equal or lesser value free. Find out where.

As a way to boost preseason summer sales Toys "R" Us and Babies "R" Us are luring shoppers in with their buy one get one free Little Tikes sale. While you’re shopping also take a look at the deals to be had on outdoor toys. Many of the swing sets are on sale at a $100-$300 discount.

Etsy Throws a Baby Shower!

editors — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 20:38:00 GMT

Oh how we love Etsy around these parts. The handmade, organic and just plain innovative baby and kid stuff those people produce is beyond drool worthy. So when we heard they’re giving away this stuff for free we thought, “Why, oh why, don’t we have a newborn right now?!”

If you had a baby recently, or you’re a crafty Etsy seller you can participate in the live Etsy Virtual Baby Shower and Trunk Show on January 28^th at 4pm EST. Go here to get the details – essentially sellers are showcasing and giving gifts to some lucky people with new babies in need of knit hats, soft stuffed animals and many, many more one-of-a-kind items sold on Etsy. Join in the party by signing up today to either donate a gift to a new parent or to be the giftee. Then look around at Etsy's baby goods and see if you can resist buying this monkey. – April Peveteaux

Free Food For Babies Born on Jan. 1, 2009

Lisa Mulcahy — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 15:30:00 GMT

To launch its 2009 “Advancing Nutrition” program this baby food maker is offering free food for New Year’s babies.

It might not be a lot, a $5 coupon it fact, but these days every little bit helps. So if you gave birth on January 1 cash in on Beech-Nut’s website.

Bringing Home a Baby? Win Big!

editors — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 17:32:00 GMT

They won't let you leave the hospital with your bundle of joy without one of these, so why not secure your newest addition in a Britax Boulevard CS? The latest from the car seat company known for its stellar safety record, the Boulevard reassures parents with a loud "click" when the harness is secured properly. And Babble is giving away the brand new Britax Boulevard CS as part of The Babble Playground January Photo Contest: Baby New Year! What else can you win in the Baby New Year contest?

Join the Playground, post the first pic of your newborn and you will be automatically entered to win a prize package worth over $800 from Britax and Medela. Medela is sending you home with the new, super small, efficient and cute Medela Freestyle breast pump. It's hands-free, weighs less than a pound and has 2-phase expression technology that requires less time at the pump.

Medela is also giving you a 4oz glass bottle set to get you up and running, and a drop-cup bamboo and cotton nursing Cami so you can look good while pumping away. Really, what else do you need for your new babe? Enter today and show us your stuff! - April Peveteaux

Get the Britax Boulevard CS at Amazon.

Get the Medela Freestyle at Amazon.

Get the Medela Nursing Cami at GAP.

Get the Medela glass bottles at Medela.

Win a Quinny Buzz 4 & Maxi-Cosi Mico!

editors — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 18:31:00 GMT

There are a lot of ways to roll, but we especially love the Quinny family of strollers around here. So when they brought us the Buzz for the Babble Playground December Photo Contest: Winter Wonderland, we all wished we were not exempt from entering. Bad news for us, great news for you! So how do you win the brand new Quinny Buzz with fab accessories (footmuff! buzz box! bassinet! cup holder!) along with the superb Mico car seat from Maxi-Cosi?

Simply join the community at The Babble Playground and start posting pictures, chatting with your fellow parents and entering contests. The winner of the Winter Wonderland is going to be one happy strolling family, why not yours? Join today! - April Peveteaux

DwellStudio Gives Babble Reader $1,000!

editors — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 18:31:00 GMT

Look at this happy family. They're thrilled because they're getting a jump on their holiday shopping thanks to DwellStudio and The Babble Playground. How did that happen?

You see Khymn told a friend, who told another friend, who told yet another friend and voila! These ladies from Glendale (or the 'dale as the locals say) started having super fun times at The Babble Playground. The end result - Khymn is going shopping at DwellStudio! Here are a few things we think she won't be able to resist:

The Gio rug for the baby room with matching storage bin will make you look like you hired a designer for your fancy tot.

Wrap up in DwellStudio's Chinoiserie Pearl duvet set for the adults to stay warm and cuddly all winter long.

And don't forget to grab these mod holiday cards, birthday invites and more from DwellStudio stationery (on sale today!).

Happy shopping Khymn! And to the rest of you Droolers as well. - April Peveteaux

DwellStudio Sample Sale & Free Goods!

editors — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 14:01:00 GMT

Get your Black Friday on! DwellStudio is opening their doors and selling the samples at cut rate prices. If you're in the NYC area, you'll want to go prepared to bring home loads of bedding, kid stuff and home decor. Here are the details:

DwellStudio Warehouse Sale

54 Greene Street @Broome

New York, NY

November 28th until December 24th

Open every day from noon until 8pm

New inventory comes in daily - so don't panic if you're in the electronics line all day today.

If you're not in the area and still want some of this goodness for yourself, it just so happens we have a Refer-a-Friend Contest going on at The Babble Playground. You can win a $1,000 gift certificate from DwellStudio and have loads of fun on the best dang social networking site for parents. - April Peveteaux

BabyUniverse Kicks Off Design Contest

Lisa Mulcahy — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 21:25:00 GMT

Calling all do-it-yourself design moms. There’s $500 worth of BabyUniverse products up for grabs. To celebrate its 10th Anniversary, BabyUniverse has kicked off its "Picture Perfect Nursery Design Contest," offering mothers the chance to showcase their own nursery designs. The winning entry will receive a $500 BabyUniverse.com shopping spree plus the chance to have their design featured on BabyUniverse.com. The contest runs through the end of the year.

Trick-or-Treat at Toys “R” Us

Lisa Mulcahy — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 15:32:00 GMT

Usually a trip to Toys “R” Us involves dropping some cash, but not this time.

Toys"R" Us stores across the country will be hosting special Trick "R" Treat events on October 31 from 1 - 5pm, offering parents and kids a safe place for fun. Kids can participate in "Geoffrey's Costume Parade," collect treats and take "Geoffrey's Safety Pledge."

If you live near the wonderland that is Toys “R” Us Times Square in New York, there will be a grand scale party featuring Geoffrey's Trick "R" Treat Parade, face painting, appearances by characters from Broadway's Young Frankenstein and demos of the new Goosebumps videogame.

Marketing scheme? Absolutely, but all the activities will probably distract the kids long enough for some free fun instead of a shopping spree.

Friday Freebie: 101 Things to Do Before You're 12

Erin Behan — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 13:55:00 GMT

This is my second post in what will hopefully become a recurring series about free stuff (not something that's usually found on Droolicious) to do with kids. This one does involves an optional purchase (or library rental) of the book 101 Things You Gotta Do Before You're 12, the inspiration for Shaping Youth's "bucket list". On the blog, you'll find a whole bunch of ideas that'll get you and your family started on your own to-dos, including hunt for gargoyles, eat space food, interview an elder ... the list of ideas on the blog goes on. What I like about this activity is that it gets kids thinking creatively way beyond themselves and their environment. And you can make the list for free--now actually doing the list, well if your child has an international bent, you may want to start saving money now.

See more Friday freebies.

Friday Freebie: Ideas for Learning at Home

Erin Behan — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 17:14:00 GMT

Most of Droolicious is about what to buy, but every once in a while we like to take a moment and feature something that doesn't cost a thing. Two Brooklyn teachers have started a blog called Eensies that is their answer to a question they often hear from parents, "What should we be doing with our kids at home?" Thus far, their approach seems to be turning life experiences into teaching lessons, which seems like a good parenting philosophy. As I'm learning, kids are often more interested in what adults do (my 5-month-olds' current favorite is watching me brush my teeth) than in their own whiz-bang toys, and getting them involved in daily activities is a great teaching tool.

If you've got great ideas for free, easy (and fun) teaching moments at home, leave them in the comments section.

7 Days of Video Games: Fun Freebies

Lisa Mulcahy — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 15:28:00 GMT

My son is almost two and he loves TV and video games. (So damn you American Academy of Pediatrics for making me feeling like a completely inadequate mother for letting him indulge in a little, not overly excessive, screen time.) But since the whims of toddlers are unpredictable I don’t believe in spending too much on toys or games. If it’s free it’s for me. Here’s a couple of kid-tested mother-approved websites with free video games.

Most cable TV channels like Noggin, Nick Jr., and Discovery Kids have websites with online activities and games (that with a little help even a 2-year old can do). See for yourself and don’t be afraid to let your kids click away. Despite what the experts say I think my son has learned a lot from TV and the computer.

Free Download for Your Budding Engineer: LEGO Digital Designer

Aaron Burgess — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 15:04:00 GMT

No, that's not a new CAD software program you're seeing, although it's a good way to get any budding engineer in your family primed to handle one. What you're looking at is the interface of LEGO Digital Designer, a free downloadable program (Win/Mac) that lets you put a virtual LEGO set onto your computer's desktop.

Admittedly, while the program is 100% freeware, there is a bit of an ulterior motive on LEGO's part: Drawing from over 763 brick types, you can build your own virtual LEGO masterpiece either from scratch or from a pre-existing template. From there, you can upload the results to have a customized kit, complete with a real-life version of every brick you used, put together for purchase.

We're three days into the thing at my house, however, and so far my kids have only managed to create, delete, and overrwrite a bunch of logic-defying vehicles and robots they couldn't possibly have the motor skills to replicate in real life. The moment they do come up with a winner, though, I'll confess: I'd probably buy the blocks to help them realize it.

[LEGO Digital Designer] [Via Lifehacker]

Hand Made: Secret Agent Josephine Makes Flashcards

chrisjordan — Fri, 17 Aug 2007 12:04:00 GMT

Secret Agent Josephine has made these fabulous flashcards, though I think they would be stunning framed and hanging on a wall in the playroom or your child's bedroom.

Download the pdf file from her website and print them yourself. She is adding a couple of letters a day to the alphabet.

Best of all, they are free to download.