The Dr. Hippo Series Books help you and your child learn about different medical issues and how to handle them in a wonderful, entertaining way.

If you’d like to read my original review, click here.

Charlotte Cowan, pediatrician and author of the Dr. Hippo series has graciously offered to give a reader their own Dr. Hippo series set.

Here’s how to enter:
Visit the Dr. Hippo site and tell me something you learned

Additional entries:
Add my health & happiness blog party button – 5 entries
Follow this blog – 1 entry
Fave me on Technorati – 2 entries
Tweet about this giveaway or blog party – 2 entries

Unlimited Entries:
You may enter as many times as you want as long as you have completed the initial entry and your comments stay centered around the Dr. Hippo Series.

Please leave each entry as a separate comment.
Contest is open to US residents and will close 11:59 pm MST on July 7th. Winner will be drawn via random.org and has 48 hours to respond to winning e-mail or I will give the prize away in a live giveaway.

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Pros: Where was this book when I needed it? I wasn’t quite sure what to do with Chandler when he was a baby. Sure, I played peek a boo, talked and sang to him, but after that….?
Baby Smarts is divided into four different chapters, each focusing on 3 months of your child’ life. 0-3 months, 3-6, 6-9, and 9-12. It lets you know what you should be expecting of your child as they are developing.
The areas of development include:
Physical
Social-Emotional
Intellectual
Baby Smarts then tells you appropriate activities to do with your child at these ages.
As taken from Baby Smarts:

The corresponding games and activities develop and reinforce the skills babies need to reach milestones. Each activity in Baby Smarts uses common materials found in the home – there’s no need for expensive toys or props. Roll a ball to a baby to develop muscle coordination. Sing songs and talk to your baby to develop language abilities. Create patterns with cereal boxes or blocks to develop math skills. Every activity in Baby Smarts builds the foundation for future learning.

This book is very well outlined and easy to follow. It has hundreds of ideas and an index in the back for easy reference. At 128 pages, it’s compact enough to throw in the diaper bag to give you ideas when you are in a waiting room trying to entertain your baby. It’s also only priced at $12.95 which makes it extremely affordable. This would also definitely make a great baby gift.

Cons: The color of the text in this book is green and orange. I noticed after reading it for a while that my eyes were straining a bit with the orange. The illustrations which are included in the book are also in orange, which I didn’t love. I also wish that this book included 12-15 months and possibly 15-18 months. At 17 months, my little guy is constantly learning and discovering and I’m always looking for ways to stimulate his play and learning. I’d like to see this book include babies who are a little older or possibly toddlers.
As for the content that is included, I couldn’t find any Cons. It’s packed full of great ideas.

The Bottom Line:An useful guide for parents to stimulate development in their babies aged 0-12 months.

Price:$12.95

Where to Buy:Amazon – Baby Smarts: Games for Playing and Learning

Win It
One reader will win a copy of Baby Smarts!

Here’s How to Enter:
Tell me why you’d like to win this book

Additional Entries:
Follow me – 1 entry
Subscribe to RSS feed or e-mail – 2 entries
Fave me on Technorati – 2 entries

Please leave each entry as a separate comment.
Giveaway is open to US residents and will end at 11:59 pm MST on July 1st. Winner will be drawn via random.org and has 48 hours to respond to winning e-mail or I will give prize away in a live giveaway.

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• Late fees (never with BookSwim)
• Limited hours (browse BookSwim in your pajamas at 3am if you’d like)
  
• Limited selections (can’t find a book on BookSwim.com? Let us know and we’ll buy it!)
  
• Long waiting lists for popular titles (we buy plenty of copies to slash your wait time)
  
• Location, location, location (what could be closer than your own home?)

Pros: I am currently using the service and must say that I am quite impressed!   There are 6 different plans to choose from, starting at just $14.98 a month.  The plan that I am on is the light reader.  It allows me to have 3 books out at any time.  I send 2 books back, keep one to hold, and get another two books in the mail.  The website is really easy to use.  You can search for books by title, ISBN, topic, or author.  There really is a great selection of books, and in my first shipment I received a couple for me, and one for the boys.  The books are shipped via media mail, and sometimes media mail and be slow.  However, it only took 2 days from the time they shipped until the time I received them in the mail, which was definitely fast! If you so choose, you can KEEP the book and pay for it at a discounted price.  I just got done reading “The Choice”  by Nicholas Sparks.I love that I was able to read it first, I have it here in my home, and I am thinking about paying for it and just keeping it.  It’s one that I would read again!  You can get recommendations based on what you like to read, which is nice if you aren’t sure what you want to read next. When you are finished with your books, simply return them in a prepaid mailer and wait for your next shipment.  Super easy! Book Swim also offers gift certificates which would make a great gift for anyone who likes to read.  They also have a great referral program, which gives your friend 60% off their first month, and a $10 payout for you!

Cons:  I live in a townhome and don’t have a regular mailbox.  I have to drive to a mail drop to send my books back so it’s not 100% convenient for me.  However, if you are living somewhere where you have a regular mailbox, this wouldn’t be an issue for you.  

The Bottom Line:  Convenient and easy home service for those who like to read.

Where to Buy:  Book Swim

Price: $14.98 – $39.98 per month, depending on the plan you choose. 

Book Swim has generously offered to give one reader a 3 month subscription to the light reader plan. (A $60 value!)

How To Enter:

Visit Book Swim and tell me your favorite part about the service

Additional Entries

Follow Me – 1 entry
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Book Swim Giveaway @ Babes and Kids http://bit.ly/I9PSu
Enter another Giveaway – 1 entry
Comment on a non-giveaway post – 1 entry

Please leave each entry as a separate comment.
Contest is open to US residents only and will end at 11:59 MST on June 8th. Winner has 48 hours to reply to winning e-mail or I will give the prize away in a live giveaway.

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