Many moms will agree that those special moments you share with baby are among the most memorable moments we will ever have. Whether it's enjoying baby's first bath or watching baby roll over for the first time, we will never forget the emotions that arise when we witness a special milestone. To help today's busy mom make the most of her time together with baby, Fisher-Price, the world's most trusted brand in toys, is there to support parents with toys geared to each and every stage of your child’s growth, including all those special milestone moments. Their wide range of innovative baby gear and engaging toys continues to expand to support babies as they grow and help ensure those unforgettable #FPMommyMoments.

To celebrate, we will be chatting about those special moments and giving away some incredible Fisher-Price prizes at the #FPMommyMoments Twitter party and you're invited!

Date: Thursday, June 11, 2015

Time: 8:00 pm EDT

Party Hashtag: #FPMommyMoments

Hosts: @Listen2Lena and @thesocialcommon

Prizes: 

• 1x Smart Connect Mobile – Rainforest Friends ($69.99)
• 1x Deluxe comfort curve™ bouncer ($59.99)
• 1x Deluxe Take Along Swing & Seat ($99.99)
• 1x Newborn-to-Toddler Play Gym ($69.99)
• 1x SpaceSaver Jumperoo- Woodland Friends ($79.99)
• 1x 4-in-1 Rock ‘n Glide Soother ($149.99)
• 1x 4-in-1 Smart Connect Cradle 'n Swing ($249.99)

• 4-in-1 Smart Connect Cradle 'n Swing
• Deluxe comfort curve™ bouncer
• Rinse ‘n grow tub
• SpaceSaver Jumperoo
• Newborn-to-Toddler Play Gym
• Smart Connect Mobile
• BeatBo
• Smart Stages Puppy (or Sis)
• Smart Stages Piggy Bank
• Puppy’s Smart Stages Speedway
• Smart Stages Tea Set

RSVP below for a chance to win. (Prizes are available to Canadians only.)

New to Twitter and/or Twitter parties? I have written the following tutorials to help you out, complete with screenshots:

You wake up in the morning, it's a quarter to four and your baby starts to cry some more. 

You bang your head. 

You know that feeling? That "I am slowly going crazy" kind of feeling? Yeah, that's the one. With my first-born, I felt like I had lost my sanity on more than one occasion. We had just bought a house, moved out of our apartment and into my in-laws' home, and spent the next six months renovating our new place. It was a stressful time to say the least and it didn't help that my daughter didn't sleep well at night or have routine nap times that I could rely on. When my son was born, however, it was totally different. He would sleep for about ten hours straight each night as young as one-month old. Plus, he would nap frequently during the day. And whenever I placed him in his Fisher-Price swing, it was almost a guarantee that he would fall asleep within minutes. I couldn't blame him. The seat was so soft and cuddly, just like mommy's arms, that I could always rely on it for a Mommy Moment and take a breather. The seat design was very similar to the adorable Fisher-Price My Little Snugabunny™ Deluxe Bouncer, which you will currently find on MomsTop10.ca.

A while back, I participated in a survey in which I shared my list of top Fisher-Price Toys and Baby Gear that helped special Mommy Moments happen in our home. I wasn't surprised to find that many of them made the final list of Mom's Top 10 - Baby's First Blocks, the Laugh & Learn Smart Stages Chair and the Rock-a-Stack, to name a few. These trusted toys have played a large part in adding a little bit of magic whenever I would play with my children and now my niece and nephew, too. It could have something to do with the nostalgia Fisher-Price toys can bring when you make time to play with the little ones. And once baby is ready for some down-time, it's nice to know that Fisher-Price has you covered with a variety of must-have baby gear, such as their Snugabunny Bouncer. 

The Fisher-Price My Little Snugabunny™ Deluxe Bouncer is covered in an incredibly soft fabric and is designed to contour baby and support the head, neck and sides. It includes a three-point restraint and non-skid feet so you can rest assured your baby will be safe and sound while you invoke your inner yogi and meditate over a much-needed cup of coffee. And while you catch up on the latest gossip on Twitter, sweet little birdies will float overhead to engage and delight your wee one.

If baby needs a little extra comfort, the Snugabunny Bouncer plays eight soothing songs and nature sounds, and also provides calming vibrations all at the touch of a button. The new easy-touch control panel gives parents with direct access to selection and volume control as well. Now, I know what you're thinking. What if baby experiences a nasty diaper blowout while lounging in the bouncer? Luckily, the seat and inserts are easily removable and machine washable. Is it really any wonder it made its way onto the Mom's Top 10 list? Also featured on www.momstop10.ca are a selection of special #fpmommymomments shared on Twitter and Instagram. Your Mommy Moments could be featured there, too, just by sharing them on Twitter and Instagram using the #fpmommymoments hashtag!

Thinking back to when my kids were wee babies, I recall those special toys and baby gear that saved my sanity during what was an overwhelming time in my life. Sometimes, all I needed was just ten minutes to myself to recoup. Luckily, I could turn to Fisher-Price gear such as the Snugabunny Cradle Swing to keep baby content while I relished in a much-deserved cup of coffee. Or, when baby wanted to play, I could count on Baby's First Blocks to enjoy a special moment with baby, sorting shapes and having fun together. They are moments like these that have inspired the Fisher-Price Mom’s Top 10, a collection of Fisher-Price baby toys and gear that moms have relied on for years. Plus, you'll find new favourites that are sure to become instant classics.

Want to find out which toys and gear made the Top 10? Join us for the #FPMomsTop10 Twitter Party! In addition to sharing these top toys, we will also chat about those special #fpmommymoments and giving away some truly fabulous prizes.

Date: Wednesday, March 4, 2015

Time: 8:00 pm ET

Party Hashtag: #FPMomsTop10

Host: @Listen2Lena

Prizes: One of each of the #FPMomsTop10 baby toys and gear. PLUS, one lucky winner will walk away with ALL TEN!

RSVP below for a chance to win. (Prizes are available to Canadians only.)

New to Twitter and/or Twitter parties? I have written the following tutorials to help you out, complete with screenshots:

When it comes to planning a party with delectable food, amazing company and drinks a-plenty all amidst fabulously festive décor, leave it to Lena to ensure it is outrageously awesome. This past weekend, our lovely hostess transformed her home into a Fisher-Price Showroom and invited moms and bloggers from across the GTA and beyond to gather in celebration of the holidays. Of course, no showroom would be complete without the latest products to demo and drool over. I kid you not when I say her house was bursting with some seriously cool baby gear and what will surely be some of the hottest toys of 2014.

I had just returned from Hamilton where the kids and I had celebrated my niece's third birthday. We ended up giving her the Fisher-Price Laugh & Learn Smart Stages Chair and it sure was popular. One of her two-year-old friends tried to walk away with it! After a smooth commute home, I was looking forward to a fun night of socializing with some of my favourite local peeps. Once I arrived at Lena's, I was surprisingly distracted by some of the new baby gear that beckoned me to pursue the idea of having a third child. I swear, it was like my mammary glands were crying out, "Go home and make another baby!"

As I sat quietly in the corner, ruminating over what life would be like with a third, I quickly realized that I should be grateful for all of the wonderful #fpmommymoments that I have been able to enjoy with my two kids and decided to move on to another distraction: food! With hors d'oeuvres that included tuna tartare, risotto balls, and mini grilled cheese sandwiches with creamy Brie, you would think I would have had very little room left over for dinner. But I did. And even though it may have appeared that I still wasn't socializing as much as most, you can bet I was tweeting the night away. It sure is much easier to tweet than to talk with a mouthful of food, am I right?

Throughout the evening, I tweeted about the super chic Infant-to-Toddler Rocker in pink that is available exclusively at Babies R Us as well as the fashion-forward design of the 4-in-1 Rock 'n Glide Rocker that won't even be out until January 2015. The papasan style of the rocker reminded me of the Cradle 'n Swing I had purchased for my son several years ago, one of my personal Fisher-Price favourites. He spent so many hours in that thing way back when he was oh, so tiny. Life seemed so much easier back then. I could secure him in that swing and rest assured he was safe and sound, if not fast asleep thanks to the gentle swaying motion. Nowadays, I have to throw on my coat, step reluctantly into the cold outdoors and yell out, like the crazy neighbour I am, while in search of my kids. They never sit still anymore! If only Fisher-Price could manufacture a youth-size swing with a combination lock...

Back to the present, it wasn't long before I had polished off a plate of chicken and green beans, and washed it down with a glass of bubbly. Okay, so I went a little crazy and had not one but two servings of cola. Straight up. With a squeeze of lime. Stirred, not shaken. Because... duh!

Hosted by the lovely @Listen2Lena, this fun-filled chat will be filled with holiday spirit as they will be giving away TWENTY-FOUR (24) Fisher-Price toys! That’s four winners every ten minutes!

RSVP below for a chance to win. (Prizes are available to Canadians only; see our Twitter Party rules.) 

Ah, yes! Those unforgettable Fisher-Price Mommy Moments. Whether it was the first time your baby cried or the very moment he took his first step and every little thing in between. Those are the moments we will never forget. The smiles. The giggles. The precious memories. And sometimes, the moments are as simple as sneaking in a shower, a second cup of coffee, or a long overdue phone call to a friend.

Need a moment? Don't worry. Fisher-Price has you covered.

 

Fisher-Price, the world's most trusted brand in toys, is there to support today’s parents with toys geared to each and every stage of your child’s growth, including all those special milestone moments. Their wide range of innovative baby gear and engaging toys are all designed to help today’s busy mom make the most of her time together with baby. 

It is with great excitement that I invite you to follow along as we share our #fpmommymoments on Twitter. Beginning on November 1st, 2014, every day at 12:00pm EST, the one and only @Listen2Lena will be tweeting a question. Simply share your moment by answering the question, remembering to add the #fpmommymoments hashtag. From all the entries received in a 24-hour period, a winner will be selected to receive a very special Fisher-Price toy. The program will run for fifty (50) days, which means that there are 50 fabulous toys up for grabs! 

Thinking back on how many toys the kids have had over the years, I am flabbergasted by the number of toys that served their purpose for a relatively short time. In some cases, my kids simply had no interest. In others, the kids outgrew them faster than the designer outfit their aunties bought for them for Christmas. With the exception of a really sweet party thrown together by colleagues at my first school here in Toronto, I never had a baby shower so we were very particular with what we purchased for our growing babies. Several toys the kids enjoyed in their toddler years were in fact handed down from my nephew or from my goddaughter once they no longer needed them, many of them bearing the Fisher-Price logo. These were the toys that I look back on with fondness, in addition to a must-have nursery item - the Fisher-Price Cradle N Swing - which I had purchased second-hand. Not only were they sanity-savers, they were extremely durable and withstood endless hours of play even after three or four children outgrew them. But just imagine if they could last even longer, adapting to developmental stages as your child grows, just like the new Fisher-Price Laugh & Learn Smart Stages Chair!

One of the things my kids liked to do when they were infants was mimic mom and dad. They wanted to be just like the big people and the original Laugh & Learn chair was perfect for that. With the NEW Smart Stages Chair, little ones can do that and whole lot more. And with simple, straightforward assembly, mom and dad can have the chair ready in no time. It comes with five parts, screws and instructions which I suggest you read first. It took me less than five minutes to build before I realized that it is much easier to install the batteries first before assembling the rest of the chair. Also note that the conjoined rear legs have a protruding lip which helps prevent the chair from tipping backwards when baby tries to mimic daddy's infamous reclined position.

The Fisher-Price Laugh & Learn Smart Stages Chair has a similar flip book as the original with brightly-coloured images.

In lieu of a lamp, the new chair has a light-up remote to help teach baby about numbers and shapes.

It also features a "magic" ABC seat that knows when baby sits, activating learning songs and phrases when baby stands. And the lift-up cushion is perfect for a fun game of peek-a-boo.

But what makes this chair so unique is the Laugh & Learn Smart Stages technology. It is what allows this chair to evolve with age-appropriate learning content that suits your child's learning stage, all with a flip of a switch.

Are you a parent who lives in the GTA or have a baby on the way? Fisher-Price is hosting an exclusive Fisher-Price Laugh & Learn Smart Stages VIP Breakfast, taking place on Saturday, September 27th, 2014 at The Baby Show being held at Direct Energy Centre, Toronto. And we want you to join us! One lucky winner will win two (2) adult passes and yes, children are welcome to attend as well!

At the breakfast, which begins at 7:45 AM on Saturday morning, you will be among the first to learn about Smart Stages, a NEW technology in select Fisher-Price Laugh & Learn toys. In addition to enjoying a complimentary breakfast, ALL attendees will receive a Fisher-Price Laugh & Learn Smart Stages toy, in addition to two (2) adult passes to The Baby Show for Saturday, September 27th!*

If you are bringing your children, there will be plenty of toys to keep them entertained. Plus, children under 12 receive FREE admission to The Baby Show!

When it comes to imaginative play, you will often find my son amidst a sea of toy cars and building blocks. In fact, he has so many cars you could probably fill his bedroom with them from floor to ceiling. Okay, I'm exaggerating. But you get the picture. For the most part, he loves building roads and creating passageways for his vehicles which range in size from super mini to extra large. The largest in his collection is an accurate functional model of a recycling truck that he sometimes rides on, even though it wasn't built as a ride-on. His fascination with automobiles and all things on wheels was quite obvious in his toddler years and it seems to continue to grow over the years. Watching garbage collectors pick up our compost, yard waste and recycling just reinforces his excitement for public service vehicles, but it doesn't stop there. He loves playing with school buses, police cars, constructions vehicles, fire trucks and motorcycles, too. When asked what he wants to be when he grows up, though, he mentioned being a garbage collector among other options. Not a police officer or a fire fighter. But that's okay because garbage collectors are cool community helpers, too! It still doesn't stop him from playing the role of these and other important workers in our community.

Recently, my son added to his collection the Ed Venture Imaginext Rescue City Centre by Fisher-Price. Included in the set is a neat little fire truck that launches bursts of 'water' to help combat fires. With "ActionTech" Technology, the playset can magically communicate with the fire truck and allows imaginative play to seem even more real. My son loves to save the day with his newest buddy Ed Venture, which is also included in the set, while also saving the city from the bad guy (also included) by locking him in the jail cell.

Remember when you first discovered that you were expecting? While I look back on that day as one of my many moments of joy, my first thought was, "Holy cow! I'm going to have to share my body with another living being?" I was shocked that I was pregnant mainly because it happened on our first try and only a mere three months after getting married. I mean, we wanted this to happen. But I wasn't prepared for it to happen so soon, or for the feeling of panic that ensued. I wondered, how is my body going to change? Will I make a good mother? How do I know what to buy? Unfortunately, I missed out on having a formal baby shower, with the exception of a surprise party organized by my dear office mates. So I never got to fully experience the excitement of putting together a baby gift registry. It would have been so easy: Pick out what I thought I would need and then family and friends, many of whom would have had more experience than I, would buy the ones they thought I needed most, right?

After having two children, I have seen my fair share of baby gear and children's toys. As such, I can easily point out my favourites, a couple of which have made their way onto the Fisher-Price favourites list of moms’ “must-have” items. They are:

At the top of my list is the Fisher Price Cradle N Swing. It was undoubtedly THE best piece of baby gear that I owned. I kid you not. With my first, I had borrowed a standard baby swing from a friend but my daughter never really liked it. With my second, I bought a Fisher Price papasan cradle swing second-hand and till this day I regret not buying one for my first-born.


My son absolutely loved this swing and he would use it every day. He would often fall asleep in it and by often I mean about 99% of the time. And as a sleep-deprived mom, it was a huge relief to be able to count on the Fisher Price Crade N Swing to lull my son to sleep.

Looking back on the many moments of joy I have experienced as a mother over the past eight years, I cannot help but smile when I think of all those special milestones I was so blessed to have been able to witness. One such milestone that left me feeling OVERjoyed was the day my daughter took her very first steps. She was only ten months old and had only just begun to crawl. In fact, she waited until the day after my first Mother's Day to crawl for the very first time. So you can imagine my surprise when she decided to take her first steps later that same day! The look of excitement and sheer pride on her face brought a tear to my eye.

Becoming a first-time mom can change your life OVERnight and often leaves you feeling OVERwhelmed, especially in those final days of pregnancy when you're OVERanxious because you're OVERdue and just plain OVERtired. At the end of the day, after changing what feels like the millionth diaper, you realize how it was simply worth it to be able to experience those precious moments with that special little someone.