Playtex Baby Products Review and Giveaway

by Sharlene Henry

Playtex products are always a staple on most baby shower wish lists.  But by the time I had baby number four, I didn’t think I needed to have a shower.  Boy was I wrong!

Two universal truths parents of babies and toddlers all face: 1) Kids gotta eat and 2) Kids that eat make dirty diapers.  Luckily, Playtex™ has two solutions for each of my dilemmas.  I had the opportunity to test a whole variety of products from Playtex™, when I joined the Playtexmommyville website as a Mom Reviewer, via Playtex™ and amotherworld.

My two youngest kids (aged 4 and 21 months) and I were eager to try the following products:

1) Playtex™ Mealtime Plates

2) Playtex™ Mealtime Bowls

3) Playtex ™Toddler Utensils

4) Playtex ™The First Lil’ Gripper Straw Trainer Cup

5) Playtex™ Lil’ Gripper Spoutless Cup

6) Coolster® Tumbler Cup

7) Playtex™ Diaper Genie^™ Portable Diaper Bag Dispenser and Playtex™ Diaper Genie® II Elite^™

The Mealtime Solution

My daughter loves her bright pink-coloured plates and bowls to eat from, especially since they match Playtex™ Toddler Utensils.   The fork and spoon are easy for her hands to hold.  The Playtex ™The First Lil’ Gripper Straw Trainer Cup is a bit tricky still for my daughter to use for two reasons: 1) she thinks that if she tips her head back that she’ll get more “joot” (apple juice) and 2) she hasn’t mastered the art of the suction from this type of straw which creates a bit of back pressure and can sometimes suck the juice out of her mouth in the opposite direction.

She finds the Playtex™ Lil’ Gripper Spoutless Cup much easier to manage.  My son thought the plates were cool with designs of dinosaurs.  He likes the Coolster®Tumbler Cup because it keeps his favourite drinks nice and cold  (he likes ice) and it holds more juice, but he also likes to use the Lil’ Gripper Spoutless cup as well.  I personally prefer cups without straws since I find them a whole lot easier to clean (and also since sometimes straws get clogged with milk that has sat around all day waiting for mom to come home and wash!).  Since they each have their own favourite designs and colours, the mealtime squabbles have been squashed!

The best part of the entire Playtex™ Mealtime system (besides being affordable and bpa/phthalate-free), is that they don’t go sliding across the high-chair and glass table like mine (because of non-slip grips) and they hold just the right amount of their favourite meals of hotdogs or cereal or ice cream.

The Dirty Diaper Solution

Playtex™ Diaper Genie^™Portable Diaper Bag Dispenser :  When I do get the rare opportunity to go out with the kids on weekend outings, I make sure I pack the totally cool Playtex™ Diaper Genie^™ Portable Diaper Bag Dispenser which is small enough to fit in the kids’ backpack and easy to clip on my purse or stroller.

On this particular occasion after a long drive my daughter was wet.   I had to change her diaper as she was getting fussy so I stopped at a parking lot to change her – no washroom in sight.  I grabbed the Playtex™ Diaper Genie^™Portable Diaper Bag Dispenser from the backpack, pulled out the blue plastic bag through the little window, tore it off at the perforated end.  Then I put the diaper and some tissues in, tied up the lavender scented bag with a knot.  No one noticed the diaper at all the whole car ride home.

Playtex™ Diaper Genie®:  Having a baby and a toddler fairly close together makes for a lot of dirty diaper products.  So I appreciated the opportunity to test the Playtex™ Diaper Genie® II Elite^™ diaper pail.  Almost a mini-family project, we all helped to assemble it in about 5-10 minutes.  It came in two pieces that snapped together after a firm push down, then I popped in the Diaper Genie II Elite^™ Refill in the top.  I pulled the plastic down, tied the knot in the end and closed the unit back together.

After stepping on the pedal at the bottom, the lid popped up then I dropped the diaper in and the lid closed back.  I opened the unit and slid the plastic along the child-proof cutter, tied a knot in the end and disposed of the diaper.  What I like most about the Playtex™ Diaper Genie ®II Elite^™ diaper pail is that everyone was excited to use it, since we all help out with diaper duty.  Needless to say we went through the refill fairly quickly!

I’m so grateful to have had the opportunity to test all of these products for my second round of motherhood.  Thank you to Playtex™ and amotherworld.

Playtex™ is giving two lucky amotherworld readers a prize pack containing one of each product Sharlene reviewed (valued at approximately $90). 

Suggested Retail Prices:  Playtex™ Mealtime Plates ($7.99); Playtex™ Mealtime Bowls ($7.99); Playtex ™Toddler Utensils ($4.99); Playtex ™The First Lil’ Gripper Straw Trainer Cup ($5.99); Playtex™ Lil’ Gripper Spoutless Cup ($5.99); Coolster® Tumbler Cup ($5.99); Diaper Genie^™Portable Diaper Bag Dispenser ($4.99) and Playtex Diaper Genie^™ ($45.99).

CONTEST OPEN TO CANADA ONLY. CONTEST ENDS MAY 31, 2012.

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Sharlene Henry is a busy mum of four kids: 11, 10, 3 and 9 months. Follow her on Twitter.