Swag

I don’t think any other vendor generated quite as much buzz at the Boom Boom Room as teutonia.  It could be because it was the single priciest piece of gear on the floor … or it could be because it’s just an insanely gorgeous stroller.  Originally hailing from Germany, where it’s known as the ‘Mercedes of Prams,’ the teutonia is poised to make its stateside debut.  It’s a fully-customizable strolling system that you build from the ground up:  Choose from two different wheel options, three different chassis ($300-500) and three different seats, including an infant seat ($190), a carrycot ($100) and a traditional stroller seat ($100).  As if that weren’t enough, you have 40 different fabric/color combinations to choose from, making it super easy to design a stroller that is uniquely suited to both your needs and your tastes.

So it was somewhat ironic that Constance Zimmer, who was gifted with a teutonia at last week’s event, chose the same exact color combination (cobalt green with kingston walnut accents) as Minnie Driver, who selected her teutonia several weeks prior.  But you need not worry about redundant photos of the same pram being pushed around the streets of Beverly Hills and New York City.  Camila Alves, expecting a baby in June with boyfriend Matthew McConaughey, will receive a custom designed t-250 teutonia at her baby shower in the next two weeks and her stroller definitely breaks the mold.  For Camila, teutonia chose a burnt sienna (aka ‘Texas orange,’ in a presumable nod to Matthew’s Texas roots; See photo above-left) seat; Because the couple is electing for a delivery surprise, teutonia also selected two different reversible fashion inserts ($40 each) to go with the seat — one in kelsey bitter, and one in calla lily cognac (shown at right).

The strolling system wasn’t teutonia’s only offering at the Boom Boom Room, however.  The t-handmuff ($40) is perfect for those chilly morning walks with baby.  A black, two-sided fleece-lined muff snaps right onto the handle of the stroller chassis, keeping your hands warm, dry and surrounded in soft, cozy comfort while you stroll.  Constance also scored a t-handmuff, as did Leslie Segrete of TLC’s While You Were Out, who expects her first child — a boy — July 12. 

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We get asked all the time by companies about how to get their product into the hands of celebrities. Click Continue Reading to read our free advice about gifting celebrities.

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The 65th Annual Golden Globes were steeped in drama this year, with the writer’s strike still going strong. And while many celebrities will be passing on the actual award show, the "Boom Boom Room: Follow the Yellow Brick Road" gifting suite saw no shortage of star power.

For 2 days before the Golden Globes take place the The Beverly Hills Hotel played home to a children’s movie-inspired gifting suite aimed at kids, babies and their families. Celebrities, (click their names to see some of the pics of them at the event) like Tori Spelling and Dean McDermott, Jason Priestley, Melissa Joan Hart, Kim Porter, Scott Baio, Leah Remini and Denise Richards, to name a few, stopped by the exclusive and swanky suite to get a sneak peek at some of the hottest products for little ones.

Click Continue Reading to find out what products the celebs drooled over and to see tons of pics from the event!

Note from Danielle: Many readers have been asking why celebrities are always given free stuff when they can afford to buy them when normal moms like us are the ones who need the freebies. Ciaran wrote an excellent post that explained the impetus behind celebrity gifting that I highly recommend you read.  Click here to read.

EXCLUSIVELY FOR CBB READERS:

Name Your Tune is offering $5 off your order of their personalized CDs. Use coupon code CBB at Name Your Tune. Check out our review here.

Cute as Buttons is offering 20% off all orders over $50 when you use coupon code CBB1. Good through 2/28/08.  Check out their photos from the event here.

Little Gems is offering 15% off when you use coupon code POSHGEMS. Also, Receive a free GemEssence Aromatherapy spray with purchases over $50! See their necklaces here and here.

Diapees & Wipees is offering free shipping on any order. Please enter CBB in the comments section and your shipping charges will be refunded.

Chic Papoose is offering free shipping on their baby slings with coupon code CBBFS2008.

Cotton Seed Clothing is offering free shipping (no minimum order) with coupon codeCB2008.

BabyFabulous is offering 20% off entire purchase anytime in January 2008  with coupon code SwagMeCBB.

Ruffle Butts is offering 10% off your purchase of their adorable ruffle diaper covers and other products.  Enter the voucher code celebrity_baby at checkout to receive the discount.

Keep checking back for more deals from Boom Boom Room vendors! (Email us at tipsATcelebrity-babies.com if you participated and want to offer a discount or giveaway.)

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Kevin James (King of Queens), 42, and wife, Steffania, 32, recently ordered from Baby Star for their baby daughter, Shea Joelle, 4 1/2 months. Among the items in their gift basket was a Baby Star Poodle blanket in picnic on pink ($66). Now Shea can be comfortable in one of the softest and hippiest blankets on the market.

Baby Star is devoted to creating high-quality baby products for the design-savvy parent and the texture-loving child. Born out of the desire to balance style and functionality, Baby Star strives to create essential items for both baby and parent in a clean, simple and modern way. All of the key Baby Star essentials are made out of combinations of 100% cotton and formaldehyde-free fabrics. This blanket is so soft and inviting, making it an essential cuddly and nap time oh, so sweet. It is 28" wide by 36" long and comes in a variety of patterns and colors. Purchase on line or through a variety of retailers nationwide.

Yesterday was Elisabeth Hasselbeck’s last day on The View as she is leaving for her maternity leave in Arizona today. The audience of the show was filled with pregnant women who were also expecting their second child, and in some cases, 2nd AND 3rd, and even 2nd, 3rd and 4th child. So, for her last day she decided to show the audience some of the items that she loved and thinks every mom to be should have.

The first items she spoke about were Storksak diaper bags. Elisabeth was given a Storksak as a gift when she had Grace and she loved the bag because it had tons of room, looked great and had really cool zip up pockets on the out side of the bag. (The Gigi style in chocolate is pictured left.)

Other items that she couldn’t live without were ORE Originals’ diaper bag organizer pouches, ERGO® Baby Carrier, Snack-traps, Fisher-Price® Rainforest™ Swing and Bouncer, Books by Robert Crowther, Julie Appel, and Amy Guglielmo, Mabel’s Sticky Labels, On-the-Go Potty, Britax Diplomat Car Seat, and Bébé Au Lait™ nursing covers in Blomst and Soft Spot (pictured right).  All the expectant moms in the audience were given every single one of those items, Oprah-style.

Each audience mom also received a "Celebrity BUMP Bag" from gift bag creator, Jewels and Pinstripes.  It included tons of great products like a Baby Plus Education System, Skip Hop Duo Double diaper bag, Crib Rock Couture t-shirt, stride rite shoes, Baby Emi Jewelry Cambodian jingle anklet, Baby Star’s new burp cloth, gift certificate to create a first year baby book at How Fast They Grow, DUE Stones® by Queenie gift certificate, gift certificate for half a dozen hand-dipped chocolate covered strawberries from Shari’s Berries (which are DELICIOUS- I received some recently), Chic Tots‘ Chic&Cozy™ Blanket/Bag, Eddie Bauer Complete Care Play Yard, Safety 1st Thermometer and Baby Monitor, and so many other wonderful goodies, worth over $1,700! For more information on the bag and everything inside, log on to jewelsandpinstripes.com/bumpbag.

Exclusively for CBB Readers:

• Save 15% when you buy a Storksak (or anything else) at 9monthstogrow.com PLUS get free shipping through Sunday when you use coupon code cbb15.
• Get free shipping at CribRockCouture.com with coupon code CBB.
• Get free shipping on an Ergo Carrier (or any other carrier) at SimplySlings.com (no code necessary).
• Save 10% on your purchase at DueMaternity.com when you buy a Skip Hop Duo Double diaper bag or any other product when you use coupon code celeb.
• Save 20% on the purchase of a Chic&Cozy™ Blanket/Bag (or anything else) at ChicTots.com with coupon code CBB20.

Are any of Elisabeth’s favorite baby products your favorite products?  What are your top 10 new mom must-haves?

Max Daniel Baby created a one-of-a kind, ultra-poshgift from us for Elisabeth Hasselbeck, her baby-on-the-way, andadorable daughter Grace. Max Daniel included their own signatureRosebuds & Satin Throws in white and in coral  (Violet Affleck is a big fan!), Baby Kaed’s Jaipur Chocolate Leather Diaper Bag (a celebfavorite), hot & rocking Crib Rock Couture tees, adorable Zutano outfits and matching snugglyGood Dog, fun & stylish creations from Little Lubbaloo, a smart, stylish and practical patemm pad, and of course a must-have Diapees & Wipees case.

Earlier this year we sent Tori Spelling and Dean McDermott’s son Liamanother fabulous gift, pictured here. Max Daniel Baby’s own signatureblankets have been spotted being snuggled by celebrity babies manytimes here on CBB, and in People, Marie Claire, US Weekly, OK!, Life& Style, Los Angeles Family Magazine, The New York Sun and on Extra.They are sold in fine boutiques across the country including Nordstrom.

Exclusively for Celebrity Baby Blog Readers: You can order from theMax Daniel Baby signature line at Tiny Tot Boutique and save 15% when you use coupon code tinytot15 or find a store near you.

Every time we cover a party with a lavish gift bag or a gifting suite, we inevitably get posts where readers complain that celebrities are the last people who need to get free stuff or that the stuff should be donated to charity instead.  I think Ciaran, our Celebrity Fashion/Gear Editor, explains the impetus behind celebrity gifting very well and I’d like to share it with all of you. 

The thing is, simply giving items away to a shelter doesnothing for awareness, and that marketing and advertising for acharitable cause costs so much more than a giveaway.

Companies give up their products and support a cause becauseit is good bang for marketing buck AND because they can feel good aboutsupporting their cause of choice, getting attention for a good cause.

Many of the companies who participate in celebrity giveaways also give away a significant number of items directly to charities. That just does not get the same amount of press!

The giveaways, no matter how you feel about the idea of swag,are part of what draws celebs and media in to cover the event. As for the celebs, when most celebs put in an appearance tosupport a cause, they are not paid for their appearance. A similar"marketing" appearance or endorsement of a commercial venture or item would normally cost big $$$.

Many of the items that celebs receive are also often donated to local shelters. Most of them don’t keep all the items.

It saddens me to see all the ire and anger out there. Yes,we’d all love to get free stuff. But we cannot all bring that kind ofattention to a cause. Just like we cannot all be paid millions ofdollars to act in a film.

I’d also like to point out that at the Celebrity Baby Blog, not onlyare reader giveaways a common occurrence (so regular moms like youhave the opportunity to get some of the great stuff that celebs get forfree), but we donate a lot of cash and product to charity.  Forexample, this year, we raised over $1,100 for La Leche League throughthe World Breastfeeding Week Raffles and last winter holiday season, as part of our 2006 Holiday Project wedonated over $3,300 in cash and baby clothes and gear to Good ShepherdServices, a NYC social service agency.  These are regular charity projects for us, too.

I hope that Ciaran’s explanation helps you understand the swag biz and why we cover it.

Update: The winner is Desiree Sanchez who said, "I love the chocolate dots blanket and zebra blanket with the blue trim- very sassy."

Be sure to check out Max Daniel’s new Hotsy Totsy Town patterns.

Originally posted in June:We recently gave several of our favorite celebrity moms – Dayna Devon, Melissa Joan Hart, and Chantal Kreviazuk fabulous custom gift baskets we ordered from Max Daniel Baby – our pick for custom gifts to the stars. Dayna told us in her thank you letter that she was "blown away" by her gift basket, while Chantal said, ‘We truly LOVE the gifts yousent to us for the boys. The SLEEVES [BabyLegs] are SUCH a hit, oh mygosh…pretty much everything is being put to use and is greatlyappreciated!"

I hand-selected each gift for the basket, which included ultra-luxe plush & popular blanket sets in the Rosebuds & Pony designs from Max Daniel Baby, Baby Kaed’s sophisticated Chocolate & Turquoise Sanya Diaper Bag, super hip Crib Rock Couture Tees, a gift certificate for Tiny Prints beautiful stationery, a set of adorable and functional No Slippy Hair Clippy hair clips, fashionable Diapees & Wipees diaper and wipes pouches, patemm pad’s genius round changing pad, classic tee shirts by Nina & Tom, gift certificates for Tali Gillette’s sophisticated mama necklace, soft and cozy easy-on, easy-off carseat covers by Dressy Dribbles, comfy and beautiful Cute Baby Shoes, adorable weather-proof blankets, bibs and burp cloths by Woobee, everyone’s favorite custom Name Your Tune CDs, fashionable, functional and fun legwarmers by Baby Legs, Phil & Ted’s Me Too Chair and Second Nature Stay Kool Cups from Regal Lager – the best when you’re on the go, and lovable outfits by Little Lubbaloo.   

We have more gifts planned for the future… stay tuned!

You can win a similar gift basket.  To enter, visit MaxDaniel.com and post a comment below with the name of one of the new blanket styles.

Order your Max Daniel Baby blankets at Purple Caterpillar Creations (use voucher code SDQ to save $3) and Her Haven (formerly Care For The Kids), use code MAX1010 to save 10% Boutique (save 10% with coupon code max1010).

Recently, at the GBK gifting suite, hosted in tribute for the MTV Movie Awards, owner Nicole Donnelly brought BabyLegs to the celebrities and made new fans out of many. With design names such as Jack Jester, Neopolitan, Jelly Bean and Sedona, there is the perfect trendy pair of BabyLegs to be worn by all babies and toddlers, girls and boys, and even ‘tweens,’ teenagers and adults.

Celebrity mom fans of the leg and arm warmers include Mira Sorvino, Angie Harmon, Holly Robinson-Peete, Angela Bassett, Tia Carrere, Diane Farr, and more. Even a few of America’s Next Top Models were smitten with the trendy, layering look of BabyLegs stripes, polka dots, bold colors and chic designs. Even if they were childless all the stars were excited to get a pair of BabyLegs for their “new” mom celeb pals, Kathy Namjimy got a pair of Giraffe BabyLegs for Sheryl Crow.

Dr. Drew of Loveline was going to give pairs of the Jolly Jill and Jolly Jack styles to Adam Carolla’s twins’ first  and said,

I almost bought these at Bellini’s; they are so hot all the kids are wearing them!

Josh Henderson, latest beau of Paris Hilton and Edie’s nephew on Desperate Housewives said,

Sweet! I’d rock these going out (modeling the British flag “Union Jack” BabyLegs, as a fashionable arm layer)

Exclusively for CBB Readers: Get free shipping when you use coupon code CBB:FS at BabyLegs.net (expires July 30, 2007).

PLUS we are giving away ten pairs of BabyLegs — five pairs of Jolly Jill (pictured left) and five pairs of Jolly Jack (pictured right). To be entered to win, post a comment with your preference along with the name of one of the new styles of BabyLegs.

The giveaway is closed.  Congrats to the winners!
Marina
Aviva
Gretta
Melissa
Jenn
April
Frostbrn
Anna
Jessica
Kristen

If you didn’t win, you can still take advantage of their free shipping deal until the end of July. Get free shipping when you use coupon code CBB:FS at BabyLegs.net (expires July 30, 2007).

I love adorable tee shirts but what I love even more is the ability to personalize them.  For example, the "A" onesie that Okki Baby sent Anya and the license plate onesie from I Dream of Johnny are among the most worn items in Anya’s wardrobe. 

That’s why I’m loving Logan and Blue.  You can create custom apparel for children of all ages and yourself (pregnant tees available too).  You pick the clothing item (tank, pants, onesie, tee), color, saying to be embroidered (which can be anything you want), font style and thread color. I love that they use American Apparel tees which are 100% cotton, fit so nicely and are manufactured in the USA.

Their custom tees were a huge hit at The Silver Spoon Dog and Baby Buffet. Celebrities such as Fred Savage, Samantha Harris, Tori Spelling, Sasha Alexander, Rena Sofer, Rosa Blasi, Kylie Bax and Breckin Meyer all designed shirts for their children, as well as themselves.

Tori Spelling was gifted with a "Body After Liam" black tank top and onesies for son Liam McDermott announcing "Mr. McDermott" and "I love Mimi La Rue." 

Dancing with the Stars Samantha Harris customized a "Mommy To Be" gray maternity tank. 

Fred Savage and wife Jennifer chose "Mommy+Daddy=Me" and "Est. 2006" for their son Oliver. Neal McDonough chose similar tees for his son Morgan and second child, due very soon.

Model Kylie Bax picked out matching "I Love My Big Sister" and "I Love My Little Sister" tees for her daughter Lito Spiros and baby in utero.

Actress Sasha Alexander and director Eduardo Ponti designed "What Happens At Nonna’s Stays At Nonna’s" for their daughter’s Lucia Sofia’s grandma Sophia Loren, as well as "My Dad Makes Cute Babies" tees.  (Lucia turns 1 tomorrrow!)

24′s Rena Sofer chose a "Rena+Sandy=Me" tee for their daughter.  The daughter of a rabbi, Rena also chose matching "You Had Me At Shalom" tanks for her and her daughter.  For other members of the tribe, they also have "Stop Kvetching," "Oy Vey," and "Kiss Me I’m A Mensch."

For Father’s Day, I’ll be getting some tee shirts for Anya- I’m so excited because I know Josh is going to love seeing her in them.  I’m getting tanks that say "Dada’s girl" and "I look like daddy." 

Other great Father’s Day sayings for tees include: My Dad Surfs Better Than Yours, My Dad Is A Computer Geek, Daddy’s Girl, Daddy’s Boy, Daddy’s Little Golfer, Daddy’s Biggest Fan, My Dad’s a Hunk, My Dad Is My Best Friend, Daddy’s Favorite, My Dad Coaches Soccer Better Than Yours, My Daddy Makes Cute Babies, My Dad Rocks, and anything you can come up with!

Exclusively for Celebrity Baby Blog Readers: Get free shipping with promotion code BCFS at Logan and Blue