Anniversary Bash #1: 4moms mamaRoo {Review & Giveaway}

{This giveaway is now closed. Thanks to those who entered!}

Once in a while I get asked if my husband and I are planning on having any more children. Perfectly happy with our wonderful girls, I say no, we're sticking with two.

However, having had the opportunity to test out the mamaRoo by 4moms, I have to say that it almost makes me want to have one more child, just to be able to use this amazing product more. Almost... but not quite. What I can say, however, is that out of all of the baby items that have come on the market since my girls were born, this is by far the one that I wish had been developed a few years ago.

Innovative, stylish, technologically-advanced and just plain cool, this isn't just another baby swing or bouncy seat, this is better than those. This is the one and only mamaRoo.
If there is some way that you haven't heard of 4moms before, you've been missing out. The brainchild of Rob Daily and Henry Thorn, when these two decided to take their business and engineering experience and begin developing juvenile products, they formed a focus group of, you guessed it, four moms. Using these women as the inspiration for the name and face of the company, 4moms may still be a small company, but they have big ideas.

And their most recent is, as I mentioned, like nothing I have seen before. Walk into any store or visit any website that sells baby gear and you'll find loads of swings and bouncy seats in every size and design possible. But 4moms went one step further when creating a seat for babies by not only interviewing parents, but by using sensors to track the motions used while comforting their babies.

The results were simple. Nobody vibrates like a bouncy seat or moves like a swing, we all do the "bounce and sway" that every mom instantly recognizes as soothing for our little ones. So 4moms took these movements and put them into a platform, developed motion-control software and made the whole thing safe, stylish and operated with the touch of a button.

Right out of the box, the great features of the mamaRoo are evident, beginning with just how easy it was to put together.

After sliding the center support tube through the base and tightening one single screw...
...each seat side rail snaps into place to complete the framework.

From there, the zippers on each side make attaching the fabric seat a breeze and all that is left is to sit the toy bar on top, plug the mamaRoo in (forget going through loads of batteries) and your child is ready to relax in luxury. In all, I spent less than 10 minutes putting the entire thing together - probably closer to five!

Not just able to recline to one or two positions, by using the locking mechanism on the back, the mamaRoo can be situated to whichever degree is best for your child. From sitting upright to interact and play to laying back to rest and nap, this seat combines the best of both worlds.

But the real innovation comes in when you turn on the mamaRoo. Simply press the power button and the LCD screen lights up, showing the five unique motions that are available.
By using the scroll button on the right, you are able to choose which motion (the little symbols indicate how the seat actually moves) and with the scroll button the left, you select the speed to go with it. I have to admit that the first time I tried each of the movements, my mouth was literally hanging open (check out the videos right on the 4moms website, they show the motions perfectly). Even my husband commented on how cool he thought the mamaRoo was. TWICE.

The whole seat bounces and sways smoothly back and forth, side-to-side, up and down and more and can be customized to each child - where else can you find that? I've talked to moms in the past who cautioned about purchasing a baby swing or bouncer because "some babies like them, some don't." But with the mamaRoo, there is something for every preference and personality!

Even better, 4moms knows how much babies like white noise machines, so they built one right into the mamaRoo. With one dial to turn on the music and adjust the volume and one to select which of the five soothing sounds you prefer, your baby child can be audibly calmed to go along with their choice of motion.

But as a really fun addition, 4moms knows that sometimes babies (and everyone else within earshot) might like to groove a little bit instead of listening to just sleep-inducing sounds. Therefore, they included an MP3 hookup so that you can plug right in and listen to your favorite tunes comfortably and easily. Is there anything the mamaRoo can't do?
With the ease of use and features that can't be found elsewhere, the mamaRoo is the ultimate in luxury. I think 4moms went above and beyond in designing a product that would meet every need of parents and children alike while still also keeping in mind that nothing is more important than safety - if the seat recline lever is unlocked or the mamaRoo detects an obstruction, it simply won't operate. A great ease of mind!

In the future, any of the new and upcoming parents that I know are going to be told about the mamaRoo. For $199, it does cost more than the average price of a swing or bouncer, but it easily does the work of both, plus more. Plus, as it is available in six removable and machine-washable color choices to match any decor, there's a mamaRoo to fit every style.

Even the plush balls in the toy bar are fashionable. Instead of jungle animals or cartoon characters, these are patterned after classical artists, which is a nice change. They have black and white on one side for infants and color on the other side for babies that are a little older. And since babies like to grab and hold things, these balls easily pop in and out of the mobile (the whole toy bar also pivots out of the way) to really keep everyone happy.

And happy is a great word to attribute to the mamaRoo. For infants and babies up to 25 pounds, this seat just makes life a little more entertaining for all. Thanks to the generosity of 4moms, the happiness will even be spread a little further, because...

One incredibly lucky person will win a mamaRoo from 4moms in their choice of color! ARV $199!

To enter to win: Visit 4moms and tell me something fun or interesting that you learned or found there.

Extra Entries (available after the mandatory entry above is completed; please leave a separate comment for each entry in order for them to be counted).

1 Extra Entry (per method) if you follow 4moms on Twitter and/or Like them on Facebook.
1 Extra Entry (per giveaway entered) - Enter any (or all) of the giveaways running on Thanks, Mail Carrier for the duration of this giveaway.
1 Extra Entry if you follow me on Twitter and tweet about this giveaway by copying and pasting the tweet below and leaving me the link. Tweet daily for an extra entry every day!

Anniversary Bash #1: WIN the incredible and amazing mamaRoo (ARV $199) from @4moms! @thxmailcarrier http://bit.ly/9RUInl #win #giveaway

2 Extra Entries (per follow method) if you follow me publicly with Google Friend Connect, subscribe to my RSS feed, subscribe to Thanks, Mail Carrier by email or become a fan on Facebook.
3 Extra Entries if you put my cute button up on your blog. Please leave an address where it can be found.
1 Extra Entry if you put my Anniversary Bash button up on your blog. And, for the people who put it up BEFORE the event started (I have a list), 3 more extra entries on top of that.
3 Extra Entries if you blog about this giveaway linking back to Thanks, Mail Carrier and 4moms. Please leave an address where it can be found.

Giveaway will end on August 12th at 11:59pm CST. Do me the favor of leaving an email address or making absolutely sure it is visible in your profile, I have to have a way to contact the winner. The winner will be chosen by random.org and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to contact me or respond to notification or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is open to continental U.S. residents only (no P.O. Boxes).

A big thank you to 4moms for running their mamaRoo 60-Day Giveaway event earlier this year (where I was lucky enough to have won this amazing prize) and for providing a mamaRoo of choice for one lucky giveaway winner. The opinions shared are my own and honest and if you really need to see more, click here to see how I roll.