Ingenuity Washable Playard: Review and GIVEAWAY!

A play yard has been an essential item in our household for Peanut. When he was born, he slept in a play yard in our room in the bassinet for the first 3 or 4 months. Since then, we use it as a travel crib when we stay overnight with friends or family, or when we go camping. And we use it as a baby containment unit (i.e. a playpen) when we need Peanut to have a safe place to play. Our previous play yard was alright. Nothing to really rave about.  The change table on it was so flimsy we couldn't use it from the very beginning when Peanut was only 10 lbs, as he would roll off the end if we didn't hold him up (and really, how practical is that? Changing a baby with 1 hand? No thanks!). The other thing that really bothered me about it was that I could only surface wipe it to clean up the inevitable baby poops, pees and pukes that ended up all over it. That always sort of grossed me out, really. Sure, you can buy the sheets for them, but really we all know that a mere cotton sheet cannot contain the mess of a leaky diaper, let alone a pooplosion. 
So, when I heard about the InGenuity Washable Playard, I had to admit, I was incredibly intrigued. Could it really be washable? Because if it was, it would be a HUGE improvement on the brand we have been using for the past year.

Mine is from the Sumner Collection. I love how gender-neutral it is!

I took it out of the box, and I didn't even have to look at the instructions to set it up. It is very simple and takes about 30 seconds. Score! The change table is so incredibly sturdy and snaps on all easy-peasy like. I can even change my squirmy 1 year old on it and it holds up wonderfully. This was enough to sell me on it! It also has a handy storage tray for diapers and wipes, etc. 

The tray folds over the bar so you don't have to remove it to use the play yard! 

But the thing that really flabbergasts me, and has me floating in clean-mommy heaven is that it IS totally washable. And it's completely easy. Everything just unzips and unvelcros (is that a word?!) from the frame and you toss it in the washer. 

See?! You can wash the whole thing!

You can learn from my mistakes and heed this tip: when you are putting the fabric back on the frame, make sure you line up the zipper in the correct corner! Duh! Of course I didn't realize until I had proudly reassembled the velcro on all the corners...sigh. 
For the mattress, you just have to slip out the 4 boards and toss the padding in there too. I have made a little video to show you how easy it is to use this play yard. I hate watching myself on video, so please be forgiving! I definitely say definitely too much...and you can see Kitty and Peanut making guest appearances. Peanut is obsessed with the play yard, so he's giving you a running commentary while investigating it. 
 I haven't been able to really test out the bassinet because Peanut is much too heavy for it, but it came already assembled with the bassinet in it, so it is easy to see how it sets up, and it looks a bit sturdier than my other one, actually, as it has straps supporting the bottom of the bassinet to the play yard. AND, you can fold it up without taking out the bassinet, which is also awesome. That was always a huge pain with our other play yard. 

Here's the bassinet all set up

And this is the magic that allows you to fold up the play yard WITHOUT removing the bassinet. Sooooo handy, trust me!

 The only thing missing from this model is a newborn napper-type device. We used that attachment extensively with Peanut in the first month or so, so if we have another little kiddo that would be a feature I would love to see on the InGenuity Playard! 

The folks at InGenuity are generously giving Up Mommy Creek readers a chance to win their very own Washable Playard!!! How awesome is that?! A play yard is a must-have for the little ones, in my opinion, and here's your chance to get one for free! Please note that this giveaway is only open to my fellow Canadians, as this snazzy line has not yet launched in the US. Just enter using the Rafflecopter widget below. And GOOD LUCK! :) 
Reminder: Giveaway open to Canada only! Sorry my international readers!a Rafflecopter giveaway
**Disclosure: I received a playard so that I could write an accurate review of using this product. All opinions are entirely my own, as always! I truly did love this product.

MamaBargains: A Steal of a Deal!

I am sure you are aware of all the deal-a-day websites out there. There are a ton of them, covering just about every need you have. I am sort of addicted to baby-related deals. Honestly, I really hate paying full price for baby and maternity items, simply because you use them for such a short period of time. However, that doesn't mean I don't want good quality brands and items. I just don't want to pay for them! 
Enter Mamabargains.com (How cute is the preggo stick mama??)

They offer one deal at a time for 50-80% off the retail price. The cool thing about MamaBargains is that they offer multiple deals a day, so you have a huge variety of designer items to choose from. They range from maternity items to the most adorable little kiddo items from birth to age 10. Since it switches at random, they have a handy alert tool to let you know when the product switches because, as always, the deals go fast! Check out the alert tool here: http://www.mamabargains.com/alertTool/
 (I have a Mac so I have to use the old-school methods of following them on Twitter and Facebook, which work splendidly as well!)
They have recently launched a voucher program, so you can score some high-quality items at a sweet discount, and at your own convenience. It also means they can offer personalized items, since you are free to deal directly with the shop offering the voucher. You can find the voucher program at http://www.mamabargains.com/vouchers/
The other thing I love about MamaBargains? It introduces me to awesome new products I didn't even know existed. Sure, there are some things I wait patiently for to appear (I have a weakness for baby carriers, and I am in the market for a new diaper bag!)...but honestly there are so many cool products out there, and it's a great way to discover them! 
Want to know what else I love about MamaBargains? They are going to give one reader a $25 gift certificate to try out Mamabargains.com. Woo hoo! Entering is easy-peasy. Just head on over to the Mamabargains website and let me know via the Rafflecopter widget which of the past features you would love to snag! (hint: at the bottom of the page you can find the "Past Features"linky). 
a Rafflecopter giveaway
**Disclosure: This is a sponsored post, and I received compensation. However, I am a long-time customer of MamaBargains, and all opinions (as always!) are my own! :)