News from Kolcraft Category
Needed! New Product Testers!
Kolcraft is looking for people who have 0-3 month old babies—or are expecting a baby in the next 3 weeks—to do a 4 week in-home new product test on a bassinet with a new feature.
The product will be shipped to your home. You will be expected to use the product daily for a total of 4 weeks, and you will have to complete 2 short online surveys after week 2 and week 4 of the test.
You will be compensated $100 for your participation and you will get to keep the bassinet—minus the new feature which must be returned to Kolcraft. Kolcraft will arrange for pre-paid UPS pickup of the portion of the product that must be returned after the test is complete.
If you are interested, please contact marketing@kolcraft.com for more details.
Kolcraft Wants Your Opinion!
Whether you have a question on a particular product, a general baby gear question or you want to give feedback on a product- Kolcraft wants to hear from you!
To make it easier for you to let us know your opinions and ask your questions, we now have the possibility to do this on our Kolcraft website. If you have a question, simply go to the product category page on our website & ask your question. Our staff will do our best to answer your question in 24 hours! You can see an example of this here.
If you want to write a review on a product, simply go to the product page & write the review. You will notice we use the Kolcraft heart rating system instead of stars. 
We truly value your opinions and are excited to hear from you so we can continue to create innovative, must have baby products for you.
Thank you for being a Kolcraft fan!
Happy 4th of July!
Wishing you and your families a happy, safe and fun 4th of July!
Your friends at Kolcraft
Kolcraft Taking Part in Chicago Community Baby Shower
Kolcraft is excited about the Community Baby Shower that will be held this Saturday at the Harvest Dome in Chicago. When we were approached by the People’s Community Development Association of Chicago (PCDAC), we were thrilled to be part of this city-wide event and give back to the community. In a time when Chicago has been particularly challenged by the declining economy with an 11% unemployment rate over the nation’s 9.5% average, PCDAC has responded by helping people find housing, jobs and now by hosting a huge baby shower.
The event will include raffles for a Baby Room Makeover, Baby on the Go Package, and a Romper Room package. Kolcraft donated umbrella strollers, tandem strollers, walkers and bassinets for the shower.
If you are in Chicago this Saturday, stop by The Harvest Dome on 3570 W. Fifth Avenue in Chicago. You will be in for a special treat.
Kolcraft Fans Made A Difference!
Kolcraft knows that our fans are passionate about parenting, health and safety of their kids, having the best baby gear for their children and making a difference in the lives of other families. Over the past 8 months you have partnered with Kolcraft to help countless families in distressed situations. We wanted to take a “time out” on our blog to remind you of the amazing things you have done in these past few months.
You have made a difference by:
- Participating in our first virtual baby shower with My Mommy Manual to raise money for Parents As Teachers.
- Participating in our silent auction for Haiti. You helped raise money for homeless, sick and orphaned children.
- Following us on Twitter or liking us on Facebook to send Contours highchairs and Sealy mattress pads to children who lost everything in the Tennessee floods.
- Participating in the Sesame Street silent auction to benefit KIDS.
You may never know the names of the children and parents you have helped in distressed situations, but you have made a difference! Kolcraft is grateful for you and applauds you for reaching out to others.
Kolcraft Celebrates Our Chicago Blackhawks
In case you didn’t hear, our Chicago Blackhawks won the ultimate hockey prize last night. Here at Kolcraft we couldn’t be happier for our Blackhawks. Being so close to the Madhouse on Madison, we feel a special connection to the Blackhawks and have learned a lot from them.
- Hard Work – Winning a Stanley Cup isn’t about luck. It’s a long grueling battle that begins pre-season and continues until the last winning goal. It takes discipline, patience, laser focus and hard work.
- Team Spirit - No player wins the Stanley Cup in solitude. It’s a team effort of knowing each teammate’s strengths and weaknesses and working together to achieve one goal.
- Fun – Achieving a goal is hard work, but if you don’t have fun along the way it doesn’t make much sense. Having fun and a positive attitude fuels creativity and allows you to achieve your goals.
At Kolcraft we try to live these “Blackhawk lessons” as we bring moms, dads, grandparents and caregivers innovative, must have baby products. We couldn’t be more proud of our Chicago Blackhawks and to celebrate we are giving away a Jeep Renegade Walker which has the Blackhawk black and red colors.
To win, all you have to do is leave a comment on our blog of why you love our “Blackhawk color” walker. Add an extra note of who your favorite Blackhawk player is and we will count that as an extra entry.
Thank you Blackhawks for being a great example of what a winning team is all about!
You Can Help the Flood Victims in Tennessee
The devastating floods that destroyed thousands of homes, businesses and property may not be in the top news stories anymore, but the destruction the floods have left behind is very much a reality for the people of Tennessee. Many are still without the necessities of transportation, housing and essentials.
Kolcraft is partnering with KIDS to deliver some much needed baby gear to the victims in Tennessee and you can help! For every new fan of Kolcraft on Facebook or Twitter, we will donate an extra Contours high chair and Sealy mattress pad to a needy child.
It’s easy, all you have to do is fan us on Facebook or Twitter and leave a message here in this blog post that you have done this. Invite your fellow moms & dads to do the same.
Be part of the movement to help a family in need and make a difference!
Kolcraft Celebrates Dads!
We love Dads here at Kolcraft and we are ready to celebrate all those amazing dads out there who coach your child’s (name your sport) team, who work hard to pay the bills, who change diapers, assemble your baby gear and who never skimp on hugs and kisses. We know there are a lot of unsung heroes out there so now is your chance to tell the world what a great dad your husband, significant other, dad, grandpa, uncle, brother or friend is and win him a $100.00 gift certificate!
This contest is super easy:
- On our Facebook wall, just put a photo of the dad you are nominating along with a 100 word or less explanation of why he is the world’s greatest dad.
- Our judges will be looking for originality and creativity among entries.
- Contest ends at midnight CST on June 20, 2009.
- The winner of the contest will receive a $100.00 gift certificate to his choice of Cabelas, Home Depot or MLB.com, NFL.com, NBA.com or NHL.com.*
- Dads cannot nominate themselves
*Editors note. We strongly suggest if the winner picks the NHL.com gift certificate, that he uses it on Blackhawk items. What can we say, we love our team here in Chicago.
Our Sealy Crib Mattress Is A TV Star!
A couple of weeks ago we told you about our Sealy Select Eco-Plush 2-stage Infant-Toddler Crib Mattress that won a Parenting award from NAPPA. As if we weren’t excited enough about that, our crib mattress made an award-winning debut on Fox News TV.
Happy to send autographs.
Meet Ana – a Mom Who Has Overcome All Odds
Anna with Liliana & Alexa
Some amazing moms have been gracing our Kolcraft blog from new moms, to moms of many children, to single moms to today’s very special mom – Ana Benitez. Ana has been at Kolcraft for 13 years and helps keeps our office running as Executive Secretary. Ana is a mom of two beautiful girls. Her youngest, only 9 months old has had a struggle from the beginning. Here is Ana’s amazing story of hope overcoming all odds.
Ana, you have had quite a journey of motherhood. Your youngest, Liliana had to have heart surgery right after she was born. Did you know she would need surgery?
Liliana was only 9 weeks old when she had her heart surgery. Yes, I was 18 weeks into my pregnancy, when we found out that our baby Liliana had an Atrioventricular (AV) canal defect which is a large hole in the center of the heart that could only be repaired surgically. We also found out that babies with this kind of heart defect have a 50 percent chance of being born with a chromosome problem, Trisomy 21 (Down syndrome). Our baby Liliana was also diagnosed with Down Syndrome shortly after birth.
You must have had so many emotions – joy over your new baby, sadness that she was sick and struggling. How did you make it through those first few months that were so “touch & go”?
The love and support I received from my family and friends helped me overcome what I was feeling mentally and physically. My daughter Alexa, who will be turning 8 years old at the end of this month, was the greatest motivation to get back on my feet. I knew she was having a hard time being away from “mommy”. I knew then, that I had to be strong and somehow be there for both of my daughters. I then remembered the phrase “If God brings it to you, God will help you get through it” so I prayed and asked God to give me strength and help me cope with my emotions.
What family “lessons” would you say you are all learning with having a baby with special needs?
I’ve learned that no matter what the case maybe, my family will always be there to support and guide me. I’ve also seen how it’s brought our family closer together.
What is the one thing you have discovered as a parent to a special needs child that you hope to communicate with others?
The one thing I discovered as a parent to a special needs child is that there is no reason to treat them any differently. They are as normal as an average child, but they are born with and will face a few more challenges in life.
Ana's family
What is your greatest joy of being a mom?Having my daughters call me “mommy” and receiving their bear hugs (as my daughter Alexa calls them) and kisses. But the greatest joy ever is receiving their unconditional love.
Ana at a glance:
What is your favorite time of day? The evening! When I get to cuddle and read to my girls.
What is your favorite Kolcraft product? Contours Options 3 Wheeler
Best “sanity” break to recharge your mom battery? What’s a break? A good night sleep, when I can get one!!
If someone was going to make a movie of your life, who would play you in the lead roll? What would the title of the movie be? Either Ashley Judd or Salma Hayek – The Gift of Life
Thanks for taking time out of your busy day to talk with us Ana.
If you have a burning question for Ana, feel free to leave it in the comment section!
