Share this blog post with friends









This post and giveaway were made possible by iConnect and Dreft. I was compensated for my participation in this campaign, but all opinions are 100% mine.

Today is Royce’s first birthday! This past year has went by so quickly. The poor guy was diagnosed with croup this week so we’re hoping his medication gets him feeling better by tomorrow for his birthday party. He’s going to have a Mickey Mouse themed birthday party. His main cake is mickey mouse themed and the bakery it was ordered from gives a free smash cake when you order a first birthday cake. Last weekend he had some cake at my dad (his grandpa’s) birthday party and he loved it. I have no doubt that he’ll tear into his smash cake with vigor as long as he gets back to feeling better. Last weekend he wound up with some cake on his belly somehow!

Everyone knows that babies tend to be messy with their food. Did you know it actually helps babies learn when they physically explore their food by smashing or otherwise “playing with” their food?

One Dreft survey with Wakefield showed that 87 percent of moms frequently encourage their children to choose activities that are unlikely to make them messy, when compared to messy activities. However, 81 percent agreed that their child learns more when getting messy, and 89 percent said their children are happier when engaging in messy play.

Perhaps one of the main reasons why moms try to avoid mess is to save clothes. 88% of moms said they let their children eat or play in just a diaper to avoid getting their clothing messy. 80 percent said they have tossed messy clothing because they thought a mess wasn’t worth trying to get out of clothing. You don’t have to, though. Dreft Active Baby detergent can help remove 99 percent of baby food stains and other outdoor messes, while still being gentle and hypoallergenic on your baby’s sensitive skin. So feel free to embrace the mess and the messy learning journey!

Dreft has also partnered with Dr Dyan Hes, the Medical Director of Gramercy Pediatrics. Two tips from Dr Dyan Hes:

Use your little one’s food to begin counting. When snacking, encourage your little one to use their fingers, as that is great practice with controlling their grasp. Use each meal setting as a chance to practice, practice, practice! Choose the right fabrics. Material such as cotton washes really nicely. If you expect that your child might be getting messy, having them wear cotton is a great choice. Using a hypoallergenic detergent on their clothing (like Dreft) can help.

October 25th actress Molly Sims got a little messy with some little ones while helping Dreft launch their nationwide search for Dreft’s America’s Messiest Baby at a Dreft Messy Play Date Party that happened in New York City. Molly has two children and another on the way, so she understands the value of messy play and has chosen to embrace the messy journey.

If you have a messy baby in your life you can submit a photo of your child for the #MessiestBabyContest which is sponsored by Dreft and Parents Magazine. To participate take a photo of your baby (ages 6 months to 2 years). Then you can either upload your photo to the Messiest Baby Contest page, or send it out on Twitter or Instagram using the hashtag #MessiestBabyContest. There will be 10 winners chosen and they will be brought to New York City for a photoshoot. From there the grand prize winner will get featured on the May 2017 cover of Parents. Plus, all winners will get a supply of Dreft products for their messy baby!

There is another chance for you to win prizes! There will be a twitter party will be held November 14th from 9pm-10pm EST. RSVP for the twitter party here. There will be several great prizes including a iRobot Roomba.

Win it: We have a giveaway for my readers as well! One winner will receive a $50 AMEX gift card and Dreft laundry products. Giveaway is open to the US and will end 11:59pm EST on 11/19/2016.

Entry Form

Hi there! I am Emily Evert, the owner of Emily Reviews. I am 28 and live in a small town in Michigan with my boyfriend Ryan and our two pugs. I have a large family and I adore my nieces and nephews. I love reading memoirs, and learning about child development and psychology. I love watching The Game of Thrones, Teen Mom, Sister Wives and Veep. I like listening to Jason Isbell, John Prine, and other alt-country or Americana music. I created Emily Reviews as a creative outlet to share my life and the products that I love with others. Follow Emily on Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Instagram www.emilyreviews.com/category/emily

Related posts we've written: