Vote Cribsies!

Here is the super cute commercial that we had mentioned in our previous post.

Dapple has been named a Cribsie Awards finalist in two categories! We are up for awards in the "Safest Cleaning Products That Actually Work" section under the "Nursery" category, and under "Gentlest Detergent for Baby Togs" in the "Fashion" Category. If you vote for us and let us know at emmett@dapplebaby.com we'll send you a personalized special something. The video below explains all.

We are going to upload Dapple videos to our Youtube page regularly with Barry as the lead. Barry, our West Coast team-leader happens to also be an actor. Combine that with a passion for everything green with a whole lot of cute children and you have the formula for the ultimate Dapple video.

Dapple on Youtube!

Dapple is now on Youtube. You can find our channel here . Barry, our Dapple West-Coast team leader, will be hosting videos answering your green parenting questions. We will be posting a new Dapple commercial in a couple of days. Not that we are biased.... but it is the cutest video ever! That's until the next Dapple video comes out. Enjoy the baby starring intro video below.

Watch and Win: Free Clean-Up Kit 11/22 9PM ET

The Baby Guy NYC, Jamie Grayson, called the "Best Baby Gear Guru" by New York Magazine, is hosting a Twitter Party tonight, 11/22 from 9-10 PM ET (6-9 PT). Jamie will be presenting a "fun-filled romp through baby gear" on his Ustream Channel, shown above, and will move to Twitter to discuss the show and to answer any questions parents might have. Just be sure to follow the instructions below.

Why participate? FREE DAPPLE CLEAN-UP KITS to 7 randomly selected participants and great gear advice from the only male baby planner in the world.

Here is what you have to do to be eligible.

1. Follow Jamie at twitter.com/TheBabyGuyNYC
2. RSVP here
3. RT the #ThankfulBabyGuy hashtag when you see it
4. ACTIVELY participate in the discussion during the party!

Good Luck!

Grandparents Day Giveaway Pictures

During the month of September, Dapple held a giveaway in honor of Grandparents Day. We asked you to submit a picture of your child and the grandparent they look most like (or of you and your grandchild). The picture that we thought was the best look alike won a Dapple Clean-Up Kit. Here is the winning picture:


It was really hard to choose what would be the best lookalike. It's really incredible how much the grandchildren really look like their grandparents. We received many submissions and they were ALL AMAZING, not to mention cute. We just had to share them with you. Below are some of the pictures we received. Enjoy!

Little Builders

We’ve come a long way from the steel, industrial looking playgrounds of the days of yore. We’ve got bright colors, safety-conscious monkey bars, and a whole variety of jungle gym equipment. And yet, for all our modernization, these classic establishments seem to still lose out time and again to computers, TV, and video games – devices that have tons of entertainment packaged into one neat little box. It’s a shame, too, because we love playgrounds. We all know how important they are for our kids.

But the good news is, there may be hope yet. It seems like playgrounds have decided to take a stab at the “neat little box” business themselves. Meet the Imagination Playground, a playground that is, essentially, a box. This box holds biodegradable blue foam blocks that can be assembled to create any conceivable play structure. Designed by David Rockwell, he hopes that such a distinctly unstructured park will encourage greater levels of creative play and, well, imagination. http://www.imaginationplayground.org/photos/

So, are playgrounds making a comeback? Can this new sort of box brings kids back to the parks, back to fresh air, free-spiritedness, sharing swings, waiting patiently for the slide, playing tag and chatting with peers? We hope so, because playgrounds have been underrated for way too long.

Picky Eaters

If you missed our latest newsletter, don't worry, here are some tips for parents of picky eaters from the Dapple moms and our Facebook fans. To view the newsletter in it's entirety click here.

The Dapple Dish: July 2010 Play With Your Food Picky Eater? Here are some tricks developed by the Dapple moms.

Bananas: Instead of peeling the banana and giving it to them, cut it into coins with the peel still on each coin. Let kids peel each "banana candy" individually. They will have so much fun and forget that they are eating something healthy. Use organic bananas because you are cutting into the peel. Twister: Make separate bowls of red, yellow, green and blue veggies and fruits (we use yellow peppers, green beans, cherry tomatoes sliced in half and blueberries). Put a Twister spinning wheel in the middle of the table. Everyone take a turn spinning. Whatever color you land on, eat the fruit/veggie of that color. Make Your Own: Let your kids choose which fruits to include in their smoothie and let them help you blend all the ingredients, they will love pressing the buttons. If veggies are on the menu, let them pick their favorite veggies to include in their salad, they will like the salad much more when they are the ones making it. Here are some tips from our Facebook Fans: Jennifer L. : "My daughter will not eat vegetables, so I give her the fruit/vegetable juice a couple times a day. I mix it half & half water. There are a few different brands that I know of....V8 V Fusion, Juicy Juice Harvest Surprise, and Mott`s Medleys." Becky G. : "Pick-your-own places are great! We went cherry picking today and the kids are so excited." Sima R. : "For every four bites of unwanted vegetable, let your kid have one spoonful of marshmallow fluff." Julie B. : "We give our two-year-old son two gummy bears if he finishes his dinner. One of the gummy bears is a vitamin so I don't feel too bad about it."

One With Nature