What’s better than saving money? Well, getting stuff for free, but I didn’t find an offer for a coupon for that so this is the next best thing! Do you use Johnson’s products on your babe? Get $1 off of their 2-1 shampoos by clicking here. There’s a no more tangles solution for curly hair or straight hair, whichever your child requires.

Back to Basics Toys is currently hosting an online Trivia Game at their site. The best part about this promotion is the holiday spirit it helps foster in all of us. For each question that a player answers correctly, Back To Basics Toys will donate 10 cents towards toys to donate to Toys for Tots. No purchase is necessary to play the game. Players can play all 50 questions in the trivia game, and/or repeat the game at any time. It’s a great way to help put toys in the hands of kids in need just by playing trivia. The questions are all based on cool facts about classic toys. For example, which classic board game features a Rube Goldberg contraption to catch your opponents? (the answer is Mouse Trap). Head over to BacktoBasicsToys.com/trivia to help make a child’s Christmas a little brighter just by playing a free online game.

Oliebollen.com carries tons of hip children’s clothes and toys. They are adding some fun (and savings) to the holidays with a special promotion. Now, just use the coupon code BONUS to reveal a surprise savings on your total order. The savings may be as much as 25%. This deal ends on December 18th, so take advantage before it is gone. You can read the details at ClickHereForYourSurpriseHolidayBonus!, or start shopping at Oliebollen.com.

If you sign up for Fisher-Price newsletters, you’ll automatically be entered to win $100 in toys. The Giggle & Grow Giveaway means that 25 lucky winners will walk away with the best of what Fisher-Price online, Wal-Mart, or Toys R Us have to offer in Fisher-Price items. What a great opportunity to stock up for Christmas!

October is SIDS Awareness Month. While SIDS is not something any parent wants to contemplate, it’s something of which we must all be mindful. Bill Schmid founded Halo Innovations, makers of the Halo Sleep Sack, in 1994 after he lost his daughter to SIDS. When my son was an infant, I felt comfortable having him wear the Halo Sleep Sack to bed each night, with no covers or blankets on his crib. I would highly recommend the Halo Sleep Sack to all parents. You can view more about Halo’s mission at HaloSleep.com, where you can also purchase a variety of Sleep Sacks for all sizes and stages of your baby’s life.

Gymboree addicts out there will enjoy the new Gymboree Rewards Program. Members receive a $5 rewards certificate for every 250 points earned. Right now, you will receive 100 bonus points just for signing up. Members are also promised other benefits such as members-only bonus point events and special savings.  If you already have an online account, enrollment is pretty painless. You can check it out at gymboree.com/rewards/home. Gymboree is also currently having its Labor Day Sale, so you can build up some rewards points while shopping for discounted items.

The Learning Curve Shop has been having specials all month. Today’s ad is for $15 off your next purchase of $50 or more with the code SAVE15. We’re fans of Thomas the Tank Engine in this house, one of the many toy brands you can find on LearningCurve.com. I spotted Super Why stuffies for as low as $6.99, Breastflow bottles for $4.99, and a Pooh rattle for $2.99. This offer stands from Monday the 27th until Friday the 31st, marking the end of a great Christmas in July.

AreYouKidding.net is a new website that showcases videos and pictures of babies and children. Designed to be a safe, family-friendly website, it reminds me a bit of the television show “America’s Funniest Home Videos.” There are contests each quarter in which you can win various prizes by entering your video. Videos can’t be lifted from YouTube, copyrighted, or taken from someone else - they must be yours to enter. Every video that is posted is automatically entered into the contest. Last quarter’s prize was a Flip video camera; this quarter’s prize has not been posted yet. Even if you don’t want to post video or photos, check out AreYouKidding.net for a few laughs.

In order to promote their line of baby body care products by JASON, Earth’s Best is offering a free trial promotion. If you buy $15 worth of Earth’s Best products, you can send in your receipts and labels and get this cute little travel kit.

My little one is getting ready for solids, and Earth’s Best is the only brand I buy, so I know we’ll  have no problem collecting $15 in receipts. I’ve previously used the diaper cream and liked it, but I’m excited to try the rest of the collection. You can get all of the details at earthsbest.com.

I’ve been daydreaming about throwing away all of our plastic toys and just purchasing wooden toys from here on out, but for now, that’s just a dream. However, I’ve been checking out the sweetest kitchen and workshop play sets at ohsimplebaby.com. Totally wooden and non-toxic, the HaPe kitchens come with all kinds of great accessories.
The award winning HaPe My First Kitchen set comes with sliceable food, pots and pans, and is 32 pieces in all. Arm your budding chefs with tons of tools for $105 (and great shipping prices) and you’ll be entered into a draw to win the  MyCreativeCookery set, another sustainably harvested wooden set your children will love.
Looking for a workshop or maybe a toolset for your carpenters? Perhaps you’re in the market for a wooden racetrack toy. They’ve got these sets as well and any one HaPe toy you purchase gets you in the draw for My Creative Cookery.

With warmer weather (hopefully) right around the corner, it’s time to start thinking about spending more time outdoors. This means thinking about protecting little eyes from the sun. Eyes Cream shades are a line of hip sunglasses for kids. They offer both classic and trendy looks that will please just about anyone. The line has received a lot of positive press, and their products have been seen on The New Adventures of the Old Christine. There are looks for both boys and girls, from six months to age twelve. They feature rubber frames for durability, and are made with polycarbonate lenses so they block virtually 100% UVA, UVB, and UVC rays. Most pairs retail for $34.95.

You can check out the entire collection at EyesCreamShades.com. While you are there, you can enter the monthly raffle for a free pair.

New babies bring lots of expensives with them. While it is hard to save on some of the most expensive aspects of child-rearing, like quality child care, it is pretty easy to get great deals on clothing, diapers, and other infant essentials, especially if you are willing to receive a little extra email. Here are a few of my favorite ways to save a little money.

Pampers Gifts to Grow: We buy Pampers almost exclusively, so when the company came out with a rewards program, I was immediately on board. Each package of diapers or wipes comes with a 15 digit code. You enter these codes online and points are added to your account based on the size of the package. Sometimes bonus points are available for promotional items. As your account grows, you can redeem your points for useful items. My biggest score was a Kettrike tricycle, a pretty upscale item for which I paid about $14 in shipping charges. Although in general I think the quality of items has gone down since I first joined three years ago, you can still get a lot of great rewards just for buying something that you need anyway. Current offerings include gift cards, diapers, and sweepstakes entries.  You can join the program at PampersGiftsToGrow.

CVS ExtraCare: If you have a CVS in your area, you can get some incredible deals on baby products just by signing up for their ExtraCare card. I actually have a lot of fun with this. Each week I get the circular, check it against my coupons, and head out to the store to enjoy finding often free items. You can often get great deals on Huggies and Pampers diapers as well as other infant care items. I end up getting a lot of free health and beauty products that our family doesn’t use, but which I pass along to charity. The company offers some good online deals as well, although I generally have better luck in the stores. You can read more about the program at CVS.com/ExtraCare.

MyPoints: MyPoints is an online program that rewards you with points for making purchases. If you do a lot of online shopping, this is a good way to recoup some of what you spend. Depending on the merchant, you receive a set number of points for every dollar that you spend. A number of baby and children’s retailers participate, so it is easy to rack up points, especially if you are expecting a new baby. These points are redeemable for gift cards or can be donated to charity. You can also earn points for looking at offers sent to your email box, even if you don’t buy. I have belonged to MyPoints for about eight years. In that time I have earned hundreds of dollars in gift certificates. While I enjoy this program quite a lot, if you don’t like to receive a lot of email, it may not be the best one for you. You can check it out at MyPoints.com.

I love LittleMissMatched’s fun “mismatched” products.  Now the company is offering you a chance to create their next design. To enter, you simply come up with an idea for one of their unique three-sock packs. The winner’s design will be manufactured and added to the LittleMissMatched collection, and the winner will receive a $500 prize. Entries will be accepted now through February 11, and then customers will vote on a favorite.  You can read all of the details and download entry forms at LittleMissMatched.com/project-sock.