Voting has begun for the Dreamin’ Baby Photo Contest!

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CAST YOUR VOTES HERE

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The winning photo will be determined by YOUR vote.  You can vote once a day until August August 15, 2010

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The winning baby will get to make dreams in his or her very own Baby Bjorn Travel Crib Light.  This travel crib weighs just 1/3 of a regular travel crib and sets up in just a flip.  Trekaroo’s Carrie Yu took it for a spin was very impressed with this new product from Baby Bjorn.

Get the inside scoop on the Baby Bjorn Travel Crib Light:

Full review of the Baby Bjorn Travel Crib

Comparison Review of Lightweight Travel Cribs

Did you miss the chance to enter to win one for yourself?  Don’t fret, you can purchase one today on Amazon.

Did you know Trekaroo has a Travel Gear Store? Find all the travel gear we love for traveling with kids.

We’ve all wrestled hopelessly with our heavy portable cribs through airports and hotel lobbies. We have also all gone through that half hour of bewilderment as we stare hopelessly at a travel crib trying to figure out why on earth it’s sides just won’t stay up.

Well, what if I told you that there’s now a travel crib on the market that weighs only 11lbs.  (1/3 the weight of a Graco Pack and Play)? What if I told you that this travel crib sets up and takes down in just one flip?  Well, there you have it!  The Baby Bjorn Travel Crib does just that!

Pros:

• Lightweight (11 lbs with the case)
• Packs up small- easy to carry and to store
• Very sturdy
• Unbelievably easy to set up
• The mattress cover and fabric of the crib (that’s most of it!) are removable and machine washable.

Cons:

• Since the legs slant outward, you have to pay attention to where the bottom of the crib is when you’re walking by. This could be an issue in a small space, and is definitely something that you need to be aware of when it’s set up.
• Only useful for young kids, up to age 3 (possibly younger if you have a tall child)
• Fairly expensive, selling for ~$225-275, depending on the website/store

Full review of the Baby Bjorn Travel Crib

Comparison Review of Lightweight Travel Cribs

The Steal: Win a Baby Bjorn Travel Crib in the Dreamin’ Baby Photo Contest

We are really excited to give away a Baby Bjorn Travel Crib Light to one lucky family with the cutest photo of your baby in dreamland.

Number of Winners: ONE (1) winner

Prize: A Baby Bjorn Travel Crib Light worth $275

How to enter:

1) Enter a photo of YOUR sleeping baby: Entry Form

2) Get your friends to vote for your little cutie pie

Winner will be chosen based on popular vote.

Rules and guidelines: see entry form for official rules

Deadline to enter: Sunday, August 8, 2010 at 11:59PM PST

What is Monday Madness?

Every Monday, Trekaroo announces on our blog, either a fantastic giveaway or an incredible deal.  It could be a green water bottle, a hotel stay on Maui or theme park tickets. Return every Monday to the Talking Trekaroo Blog for the details. Want a reminder? Become a Trekaroo member or follow us on facebook or twitter.

Thanks to Contest for Moms, Online Sweepstakes, CashNet Sweepstakes, and Sweepstakes Advantage.

Disclosure:  The Baby Bjorn Travel Light Crib was provided to Trekaroo by the manufacturer for review.  No other compensation was received and Trekaroo was not required to express any particular point of view.

Are we there yet?

Are you packing and getting ready for a 4th of July long weekend roadtrip with the family? Whether you’re flying to France, traveling to relatives or heading for the beach, check out our newly assembled Trekaroo’s Activities and Games Guide for Traveling with Kids.

These are all based on recommendations from Trekaroo’s community of travel-savvy parents over the last year. We’ve got games that can be played anytime, anywhere and no gameboards required. Some will make your kids think, some will make them laugh and some will turn them into detectives.

Here’s a sneak peak at Activities #24 through 35.

Guessing Games

24. 20 Questions (Ages 2+)
25. Treasure in a Bottle (Ages 2-4)
26. Name that Tune (Ages 3+)
27. Mother Goose’s Mixed Up Words (Ages 3-6)
28. How Far Away is That? (Ages 4+)
29. True or False (Ages 4-7)

Simple Activities with Just a Piece of Paper

30.  Print out coloring or activity pages from websites like Education.com or Crayola.com
31.  Print out a map of the US and check off each state that you find a license plate for
32.  Free Roadtrip Bingo print-outs from MomsMinivan
33.  Write a letter to grandma or a friend. Write a journal entry.
34.  Travel Scavenger print-outs from Moms Minivan
35.  Take a crayon, stick a coin underneath a sheet of paper and make a coin rubbing

The Trekaroo’s Activities and Games Guide for Traveling with Kids also has our favorite toys for babies, toddlers, preschoolers, school-age kids, tweens and teens that you can purchase ahead of time and throw in your Mary Poppins “entertainment” carpet bag. You’ll find books, puzzles, activity kits and more to choose from to keep the kids entertained and happy for your “family vacation”

Be sure to check-out Activity #68 in Trekaroo’s Activities and Games Guide for Traveling with Kids. It’s a great idea that I’d never heard of from happyonvacation.

Related articles:

• Best Travel Trays for Kids
• Toys on the Fly
• Preparing Kids to Travel

Visit Trekaroo’s Travel Store for more of our favorite travel gear, toys, and books for babies to teens!

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Esther Lee is co-founder and CEO of Trekaroo – a reviews site dedicated to exploring and traveling with kids.

Travel with kids to: CA | CO | DC | FL | HI | IL | MA | NC | NY | PA | TN | TX | VA | WA

Have you ever looked at toddler who’s squirming in his airplane seat pulling the lap belt over his head with ease? My 2 year old son is never one to sit quietly on the plane and stay strapped in without a 5-point restraint system, but what airline has that? NONE.

Well, luckily the folks behind the CARES Kids Fly Safe aviation restraint know just what parents need for their little jet set. The CARES harness is designed specifically to keep children 1 year of age or older (weighing between 22 and 44 pounds) safe on an airplane. Between routine turbulence when flying over those Rocky Mountains to emergency situations, your toddler will be a lot safer traveling on an airplane with a CARES aviation restraint.

Pros:

• Only FAA certified alternative to a car seat
• 4-point harness that’s similar to your child’s car seat configuration
• Durable material that’s made by the same company who makes airplane safety belts
• Light (1 pound) and portable
• You can check-in your 50 pound car seat instead of lugging it on board

Cons:

• Simple to install, but requires an awkward moment when you ask the passenger behind your child to put their tray table down.
• No straps between the legs (the 5th safety point), so the straps have to be very snug or else smaller kids may slide down or wiggle out
• Red strap sometimes doesn’t align flush for curved back seats
• A big price tag if you don’t fly often

Here’s our full review of the Kids Fly Safe CARES Harness.

The Steal – Win a CARES Harness

We’ll be giving away 1 CARES harness.

Number of Winners: One (1)

Prize: 1 CARES Harness (Value $70)

To enter:

Share which is your FAVORITE airline when traveling with kids and why.

For additional entries, feel free to do any or all of the following. Each one counts as an extra entry but be sure to leave a separate comment for each one.

• Share which airline you think is the WORST when traveling with kids and why
• Tweet a link to this Monday Mad Steal via @Trekaroo
• Post this on your Facebook Wall using the Facebook Share link above
• Post this on your blog

Rules and guidelines:

• 18 years of age or older
• US Residents only
• One entry per person

Deadline to enter: Sunday, March 7, 2010 at 11:59PM PST

If you don’t want to register, but would like to purchase a CARES harness, it’s available on Amazon for $70. Go here to buy your child a CARES child aviation harness.

What is Monday Madness?

Every Monday, Trekaroo announces on our blog, either a fantastic giveaway or an incredible deal.  It could be a green water bottle or Broadway tickets. Return every Monday to the Talking Trekaroo Blog for the details. Want a reminder? Become a Trekaroo member or follow us on facebook or twitter.

Related articles:

• 10 Fun Travel Activities for Kids
• Travel Toys for Baby/Toddler
• Top 5 Travel Toys for Preschooler
• Best Portable Travel Cribs

Thanks to Contest for Moms, Online Sweepstakes, CashNet Sweepstakes, and Sweepstakes Advantage.

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Esther Lee is a contributing author on Trekaroo – a reviews site dedicated to exploring and traveling with kids.

Travel with kids to: CA | CO | DC | FL | HI | IL | MA | NC | NY | PA | TX | VA | WA

Portability and safety seem to be the features of choice. Congratulations to Comment #69, Brandi Westmoreland. You’re the new owner of a fabulous new Snazzy Baby Travel Chair.

One of the reasons I love Trekaroo is how I’ve got a community of thousands of parents keeping me up-to-date on what’s hot when traveling kids. One our newest Trekaroo members, Kailani (the mommy blogger behind An Island Life) tipped me off to the Snazzy Baby Travel Chair. Weighing in at less than 1 pound, the Snazzy Baby Travel Chair has been awarded the Most Portable Travel Chair by Trekaroo. It also fits into any diaper bag!!! Woo Woo! (Here’s the full article on Best Travel High Chairs).

The Steal – Win the Most Portable Travel High Chair

We knowing that eating outside the house is often difficult for kids who are more eager to play than eat.

Number of Winners: One (1)

Prize: 1 Snazzy Baby Travel Chair in Red for Valentine’s Day

To enter:

Tell us what feature(s) is important to you when shopping for a portable high chair.  You can leave a comment below, tweet your thoughts to @trekaroo, or leave a comment on Facebook.

For additional entries, feel free to do any or all of the following. Each one counts as an extra entry but be sure to leave a separate comment for each one.

• Subscribe to The Talking Trekaroo’s feed
• Follow Snazzy Baby on Twitter
• Follow Trekaroo on Twitter
• Tweet this giveaway
• Fan Snazzy Baby on Facebook
• Fan Trekaroo on Facebook
• Mention this giveaway on your blog with a link back here and to Snazzy Baby

Rules and guidelines:

• 18 years of age or older
• US Residents only
• Multiple entries allowed per person

Deadline to enter: Sunday, February 14, 2010 at 11:59PM PST

A Sweet Valentine’s Deal

Purchase a Snazzy Baby travel chair for $34.99 and get a free pair of leg warmers (value: $7.99) for your special little Valentine. Just go to http://www.snazzybaby.us/shop and enter in the code: TREKAROO when you purchase a Snazzy Baby Travel Chair and a free pair of leg warmers will be added to your purchase. You just choose the color! (Available in for funky colors: Wild Blue , Pink Pizzaz, Jungle Green and Oceans Blue.)  Jump on this deal before it expires at the end of the month on 2/28/2010.

Don’t need a pair of leg warmers. Purchase the chair on Amazon for $29.59 and it’s eligible for free shipping savings .

Related articles:

• Best Portable High Chairs for Travel
• Best Baby Travel Cribs
• Best Travel Toys for Babies and Toddlers
• Toys on the Fly
• Pack for Baby Without Bringing the Nursery

What is Monday Madness?

Every Monday, Trekaroo announces on our blog, either a fantastic giveaway or an incredible deal.  It could be a green water bottle or Broadway tickets. Return every Monday to the Talking Trekaroo Blog for the details. Want a reminder? Become a Trekaroo member or follow us on facebook or twitter.

Thanks to Contest for Moms, Online Sweepstakes, CashNet Sweepstakes, and Sweepstakes Advantage.

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Esther Lee is a contributing author on Trekaroo – a reviews site dedicated to exploring and traveling with kids.
Travel with kids to: CA | CO | DC | FL | HI | IL | MA | NC | NY | PA | TX | VA | WA