Zadyball - Review & Giveaway

"A Zady®ball is designed first of all with babies in mind. [These balls] are soft to hold and cuddle, and have lots of strings to grab and rub."  The ZadyBall is an item that Zady®ball believes infants will enjoy through toddler-hood and parents will love too!  "Zadyball is recommended for ages 3 months – 3 years with adult supervision."

The ZadyBall was created in 2004 by an Arizona mom and currently holds a US patent (Patent No. D583421).  The ZadyBall still holds it's popularity and it is available in a number of different designs: The original ZadyBall, the ZadyMini (perfect for small hands or pets), the ZadyCreature (complete with faces), ZadyBug (with bug-like shapes), and ZadyOrganics (great if you are eco-conscious)!  Each Zadyball is individually handcrafted and is available in many different colors, styles and personalities. You are sure to find one that is perfect for the baby in your life!  I have looked through each category and have chosen so many favorites, which I'm including pictures of throughout this review/giveaway.

According to ZadyBall's website, babies love ZadyBalls because, they are "easy to grab and hold on to from a very young age, good for teething, soft to cuddle, [the] knotted ends are very soothing to rub, [and they make] a great lovey."  Toddlers will continue to enjoy the ZadyBall because first of all..."once a lovey, always a lovey".  Also, the ZadyBall is "easy to throw and catch, especially when you are just learning how." And finally, as with infants, these ZadyBalls are "soft to cuddle ([and] everyone loves soft things!)." 

ZadyBall believes that parents will love the ZadyBall too.  Why? Because, "babies love them [and parents love what their babies love], and [they are] easy to clean (just throw in the wash), safe, and soft enough that you don't have to worry about things breaking or anyone getting hurt when it is thrown around."

ZadyBall truly hopes that you'll chose a ZadyBall to be your baby's first and favorite toy!

ZadyBalls can be ordered online at http://www.zadyball.com or through the ZadyBall Etsy Shop: http://www.etsy.com/shop/Zadyball .  The ZadyBall Etsy Shop is perfect if you'd like your ZadyBall customized with your child's name or made with different colours.

Review
ZadyBall offered to send me one of their Original ZadyBalls to review: the Black, White and Red all over ZadyBall.  This ZadyBall regularly sells for $15, which I think is a great deal!  This ZadyBall is based on the original ZadyBall design but pays special attention to the development of babies.  Did you know that research shows that the first colors/shades newborns are able to recognize are Black, White, and Red?  This ZadyBall is made in those specific colours to help capture your baby's attention! 

The ZadyBall I received is made from 100% (super soft) cotton flannel, which is perfect for babies delicate skin, and is stuffed full with high loft poly-fil.  It measures 7" in diameter and contains 16 knotted strings that are approximately 5 inches long and 1/2 an inch wide.  One thing that I love about the ZadyBall that isn't mentioned on their website is the jingle bell that is tucked away in the middle of it.  Another great thing about the ZadyBall is that it is 100% machine-washable.  This is great news because it can easily be sanitized after use, especially important if the ZadyBall is being used while teething. 

Things I've noticed and really love about the Original ZadyBall include,
-the soft fabric that it's made with
-it's unique developmentally-conscious design.  I personally love the knots - they remind me of tags, which I'm a fan of.  I also like that the ZadyBall uses a design that allows infants to use their sense of sight, sound, and touch!
-it is a relaxing toy for babies (and a relaxing toy for me) :)
-it can be used through infant and toddler-hood
-the attention to detail used when sewing it together is impressive (I don't see it coming apart anytime soon)
-the notes on the tag regarding washing instructions and the fact that it is machine-washable
-the variety of designs that it comes in and the customizable features
-and finally, the fact that it's made in a smoke-free home

All in all, after my experience with the ZadyBall, I'd definitely recommend it to other parents and will likely purchase ZadyBalls in the future for gifts (I think the ZadyMinis would make perfect stocking stuffers). 

 *GIVEAWAY*

How many winners are there? Two.

What can you win?  Each winner will receive their choice of item from ZadyBall (up to a $25 value).  The winner's will not receive their ZadyBall before Christmas.  Sorry.

To enter, Go look through the ZadyBall website.  Then, come back here and tell me which item is your favorite. This question must be answered to gain an entry in the giveaway.

Each of the following will give you one extra entry in the giveaway (unless stated otherwise). Please make sure to leave a separate comment for each thing you do:

- 'Liking' ZadyBall on Facebook
- Visiting ZadyBall's blog and telling me the name of your favorite post
- Telling me the name of your favorite product on EUC Designs ZAZZLE or telling me a design/product you'd like to see offered in the future.
- Purchasing something from EUC Designs ZAZZLE.   7 ENTRIES!
- Entering one other giveaway on Everything Up Close, then leaving me a comment hear indicating the name of the other giveaway you entered (Maximum of 1 entry).
- Subscribing to my blog via email.  

- Adding my main button to your blog sidebar.
- Adding my Everything Up Close Holiday Wishlist event button to your blog sidebar.

- Following me on Twitter (@ihchicky). Please leave your Twitter name in your comment.

- Following me on Blogger / Google Friends Connect (publicly).
- 'Liking' Everything Up Close on Facebook and leaving a comment on my Facebook Fan page saying 'Thanks for the Nescafé Giveaway!'  Please leave your name (First name and last initial) that is shown on Facebook for verification. 2 ENTRIES!

- Tweeting about this giveaway with a link to this page. Please leave a link to your tweet or your twitter name. You can do this once a day.

- Blogging about this giveaway on your blog. Please leave a link to your blog post in your comment. 2 ENTRIES! Please leave 2 separate comments if you blog about this giveaway.

- Talking about and linking to this giveaway in any public forum or on Facebook. If you do this, please leave your user-name and a link to the post. 3 ENTRIES! Please leave 3 separate comments if you blog about this giveaway.

Important Entry Details: The above entries (main and bonus) can only be submitted once per person (except for the tweet entry, which can be done daily). Please do not use more than one blogger account or add additional anonymous comments to gain extra entries. This is not fair to everyone else and this practice is strictly prohibited. If a person is found to be using more than one account to enter the same giveaway, they will be disqualified from that particular giveaway, as well as all future giveaways.

This giveaway will end on Saturday, December 18th at 11:59pm (Central Standard Time). After the giveaway has ended, the winner will be picked randomly using random.org. EMAIL RULES: In order to win, you must provide a valid email. I will be notifying the winner by email only. Please make sure your blogger profile includes your email address and make sure that it is visible. If you do not have a blogger account, please make sure you have included your email address in your post. If there is no email address provided, to contact the winner, another person will be chosen. The winner will have 48 hours to respond to the winning email notification with their complete mailing address (I will be forwarding all this information to the sponsor), If this information is not received within 48 hours, a new winner will be chosen.  

This giveaway is open to everyone WORLDWIDE!

Good Luck!

**Disclaimer** To complete this review and post this giveaway, ZadyBall sent me a ZadyBall free of charge.  Receiving this item did not in anyway alter the information which I discussed in this article; this review is 100% my own opinion.  I did not receive any other type of compensation for this review/giveaway.

Are you interested in purchasing a ZadyBall for someone for Christmas?  To ensure delivery within the United States prior to Christmas, orders must be received by December 15th at 8 p.m. (MST).  ZadyBall online will be closed from December 17th - December 26th.  Orders received during this time will be shipped on December 27th.

Coupon code: Save 15% when you quote the coupon code UPCLOSE during checkout on ZadyBall!