Parenthood

Baby Magic Announces Brand News with Breakfast, Bunnies and Blooms in NYC

As a mom, you lean on brands that your you, yourself, and your mom have known and trusted when choosing products for your baby.  And Baby Magic is one of those brands that has been a mainstay in so many families from generation to generation.  That classic pink bottle and uniquely soothing scent brings nostalgia to so many including myself.  So when I was invited to a special blogger event hosted by Baby Magic, I was happy to attend and learn more about their latest offerings.

                                                                                                                   Here are my 3 takeaways about Baby Magic’s brand expansion and its biggest evolution in 65 years:

1.  Baby Magic is embracing the ever-growing parental consciousness about the ingredients in baby products.  In response to parents’ needs and desires, they’ve reformulated their products to exclude sulfates, mineral oils, dyes, parabens, phthalates, talc, and lanolin.  Parents will love their gentle, safe, skin-loving ingredients while still being able to rely on the same quality and care that Baby Magic has always been known for.  
2. The enhanced formulation now comes in 3 popular scents!  There’s original baby, sweet buttercup and lavender lullaby.  I know so many parents who love the original baby lotion scent so much that they regularly use it on themselves, not just their kids.  Would you?  To celebrate the launch of the new scents, Baby Magic’s event had us use lavender while learning to arrange our own floral bouquets! Lavender as you may know helps lull little ones to sleep and what parent couldn’t use a little help with the bedtime routine??
3. There’s a new look and feel featuring a new brand mascot and a new brand ambassador!  I was expecting to see lots of pink at this event remembering their classic pink bottle but their new bottles are white as you can see (which I love even more) and the new lineup features an adorable bunny!  So at their event, we all got to cuddle some real live bunnies while catching up with one another over breakfast.                        Also newly associated with the brand is Carolynne Harvey, sleep expert and author of Dream Baby Nights.  Carolynne will be working with the brand to share her advice on providing quality sleep, care and comfort for babies.  She is available for media activations and parenting expos featuring Baby Magic and I couldn’t help but ask her for tips and tricks on sleep training my HUSBAND haha.  Because sometimes it’s not the little babies but the bigger babies that give us the most challenges with regards to bedtime routines, and differing views on sleep needs.  The struggle is real.   Can anyone relate with me on this one??                                                                                                                                             

All in all, it was a wonderful event!  I learned so much about all that Baby Magic has to offer.  If you want to learn more about the brand and its new product click through their website here!  And if you want to see more from this event, click DowntownChicMom’s event recap here!

Thanks to MomTrends for hosting and organizing the event!  View more of the other MomTrends blogger events that I’ve attended here!

As always, though this is a sponsored post, I only support brands I believe in.

 

How To Pay For Harvard When It’s $137,312 Per Year

She’s only 5. why worry about college tuition now?

Harvard tuition, room, board and fees currently cost $67,580 for 2019.  Yale, my other alma mater costs $70,570.  (YIKES, I KNOW!!)  To make matters even scarier, tuition is expected to continue to increase every year by 5%.  We may have already invested 80k towards our daughter’s future college of choice but this is nowhere near the $143,387 she will need for Yale or the $137,312 for Harvard in 2031.  And yes, that is only the per year cost.  Take a moment to let that sink in…. (GULP!!) I’m no math wizard, I just inputted basic information into the college calculator to figure this out.   Anyone else interested in the NY529 college savings plan now?  Below are some frequently asked questions and answers thanks to the MomTrends event and seminar held by NY529, regarding how you can save to afford the college of your child’s choice!

(Please let it be Harvard, please let it be Harvard)

What is a 529 college savings plan?

• It’s a type of investment account you can use for higher-education savings. 529 plans are usually sponsored by states and are beneficial in the form of tax savings. (tax deductions, tax-deferred growth, and tax-free withdrawals).

Who can contribute to the plan?

• Any U.S. citizen or a resident alien can contribute!  Grandparents, friends, and of course parents.  Instead of traditional gifts this year, why not gift an investment instead?  You can even invite friends and family to contribute to your account by sharing a special Ugift code on Twitter or by email. Ugift also provides printable gift coupons that you can distribute in person or by mail.  I love this idea.

Restrictions?

• There are no income restrictions to open a 529 account.  Up to $10,000 is deductible annually from New York State taxable income for married couples filing jointly or $5000 for single taxpayers. And get this!  The money doesn’t have to be used just for tuition.  It can be used towards paying for any higher-education expense like: books; computers, software, supplies, and certain room and board fees.  That sounds great doesn’t it? It can even be applied towards:
  • Out of state colleges
  • Postsecondary trade and vocational schools.
  • 2- and 4-year colleges and
  • Postgraduate programs

For more info.on the NY 529 check my earlier post about the 5 things I didn’t know about the 529 that you should.  Or see the NY 529 FAQs here. 

 

Disclaimers:

Compensation was provided by NY 529 Direct via Momtrends. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions of NY 529 Direct or Momtrends. 

Investments in the plan are subject to risk.  Before you invest, consider whether your or the beneficiary’s home state offers any state tax or other benefits that are only available for investments in that state’s 529 plan.

The Comptroller of the State of New York and the New York State Higher Education Services Corporation are the Program Administrators and are responsible for implementing and administering the Direct Plan. Ascensus Broker Dealer Services, Inc., serves as Program Manager and, in connection with its affiliates, provides recordkeeping and administrative support services and is responsible for day-to-day operations of the Direct Plan. The Vanguard Group, Inc., serves as the Investment Manager. Vanguard Marketing Corporation markets, distributes, and underwrites the Direct Plan.

No guarantee: None of the State of New York, its agencies, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), The Vanguard Group, Inc., Ascensus Broker Dealer Services, Inc., nor any of their applicable affiliates insures accounts or guarantees the principal deposited therein or any investment returns on any account or investment portfolio.

New York’s 529 College Savings Program currently includes two separate 529 plans. The Direct Plan is sold directly by the Program. You may also participate in the Advisor Plan, which is sold exclusively through financial advisors and has different investment options and higher fees and expenses as well as financial advisor compensation.

For more information about New York’s 529 College Savings Program Direct Plan, obtain a Disclosure Booklet and Tuition Savings Agreement at www.nysaves.org or by calling 1-877-NYSAVES. This includes investment objectives, risks, charges, expenses, and other information. You should read and consider them carefully before investing.