Safety 1st ProGrade VersaScan TALKING Thermometer and Sound Moments Audio Monitor {Review & Giveaway}

{This giveaway is now closed. Congratulations, Christine!}

Even though I will readily admit that this has been the mildest winter here in the Midwest that I can remember in... well, ever, I still need it to be over soon.

It's not the weather that is threatening to drive me insane, it's the runny noses and sneezes that come along with cold and flu season that need to end. As soon as I start to revel in the fact that no one has a fever or is coughing at all hours of the night, it seems to begin again. Someone make the cycle end!

However, there has been a bright side to the sniffles this year thanks to Safety 1st. Although they haven't cured us of our sicknesses, they have made life easier in our house and for parents everywhere with their ProGrade VersaScan TALKING Thermometer and Sound Moments Audio Monitor.

According to the CDC, each year up to 20% of people come down with the flu and that's not the time to find yourself without high quality products that can lead to faster relief. As Safety 1st has been providing innovative parenting solutions and industry-leading products that we know and trust for over 25 years, I already knew that these two new items would fit into their collection perfectly.

When the VersaScan TALKING Thermometer and the Sound Moments Audio Monitor arrived, I knew that they wouldn't be the cure for the colds that my kids keep catching, but I had high hopes that they would provide some much-needed help to fight them off.

The Safety 1st ProGrade VersaScan TALKING Thermometer has the ability to take the temperature of people as well as objects. So whether you have a little one with a warm forehead, food pulled out of the microwave, or bathwater sitting in the tub, the one-second reading will give you accurate results right away.

Loving that this thermometer comes with batteries, I had them installed and ready to go without problem. With the option to choose your language (English or Spanish) and Fahrenheit or Celsius, as well as set the volume, date, and time, I appreciate that Safety 1st included plenty of features to customize for each user.

When it comes to using this new thermometer, it couldn't be much easier... or faster. After ensuring that it is in Ear Mode (switching to Object Mode is done quickly and I had fun bringing this around my house testing the temperature of a variety of different liquids and objects), the thermometer is positioned in the ear canal and a single press of a button has your read-out in one second.

There is essentially no way to misread your child's temperature with the VersaScan TALKING Thermometer! The human voice read-out clearly states the number even while you are removing it to look at the display...

...while the large, clear numbers are easy to see, particularly with the illuminated display screen. At the same time, the Fever Light Ring (the circle right in the middle) would glow red to alert you to a high temperature, and the cute smiley face would change to a frown.

I love how fast and easy this thermometer is, as Little Sister B has never been a fan of having her temperature taken. But with this, she hardly has time to even realize that I have it in position before it beeps to indicate that it is done... and then her eyes open wide over the fact that it talks!

For times when you might have to take your child's temperature during the night (or if you just prefer to not have your gadgets talk to you), this thermometer also offers a Silent Mode. Combined with the 30 memory recall for temperature and time (making it easy to track your child's temperature over quite a long period), auto shut-off and a low battery indicator, there's not much more that a parent could ask for!

Retailing for $39.99 (available from Safety 1st, Amazon or at Target) the VersaScan TALKING Thermometer comes with its own Probe Tip Cap that doubles as a convenient stand. For any nursery or child's bedroom, this has proven to be a high quality, accurate device to have on hand all year long.

When it comes to those times that your children aren't feeling well, however, a monitor is needed more than ever to be that extra set of helpful ears. Instead of worrying if that cough needs more than just a drink of water or if that sniffling isn't going to stop, the Safety 1st Sound Moments Audio Monitor is a worry-free way to reduce the stress from your day or night.

Featuring one Baby Unit and two Parent Units, this new monitor makes it easy for multiple users to both listen in or for one user to be able to leave a receiver in different rooms of the house.

Right away I appreciated that all three Units come with AC adapters to save on purchasing and re-purchasing batteries. However, for times that parents want to take their Unit with them, it is lightweight and portable and can be hooked right on to a belt or pocket by using the movable Belt Clip & Carry Loop on the back.

With four channels to minimize interference and a 600+ foot range, parents don't have to worry about the Sound Moments Monitor giving them static or poor reception. Having tried this throughout my house, I haven't experienced a single problem with the reception or picking up external signals.

At the same time, I appreciate that the Parent Units have volume-sensitive sound lights to quickly alert parents to any noise, a quick mute button (and a pink light to let you know that you have activated the mute) for times that you might need to answer the phone...

...and that one press to the Pager button on the Baby Unit...

...results in an audio and visual reminder as to where you set down and left your Parent Unit. After all, parenthood is filled with a great deal of forgetful moments and when you want to listen in on your baby, a quick reminder of where you left your receiver can be extremely helpful!

The Baby Unit has its own great features, as Safety 1st knowingly included not only a digital clock (something that seems to be missing too often from kids' rooms), but a tap-on/off nightlight.

Instead of choosing between having to fumble around in the dark or risk waking your child up by turning on the overhead light, a single tap results in a soft glow that can help keep everyone relaxed and asleep.

Retailing for $39.99, the Sound Moments Audio Monitor is an affordable option that would work for all ages and can be purchased from Safety 1st or at Babies 'R Us. As with the rest of Safety 1st's high quality products, this monitor can make a big difference in helping make a parent's life a little easier when the family is not feeling well.

For everything from child care (bathtubs and bath accessories, booster seats, high chairs, diaper pails, infant health items and potties), home safety (monitors, gates and childproofing items), travel (car seats, strollers and travel safety items) and items to play and relax with (bouncers, swings, walkers and play yards), Safety 1st has an innovative parenting solution there to assist. It's time to enjoy the experiences of childhood as much as possible!

And, thanks to their generosity, one person will soon be prepared to get through the end of cold and flu season easier and more conveniently, because...

One lucky person will win their choice of the ProGrade VersaScan TALKING Thermometer or the Sound Moments Audio Monitor from Safety 1st!

To enter to win: Visit Safety 1st and leave a comment on this post telling me another of their innovative products that you would like to own.

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 Safety 1st 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!

I want to WIN my choice of Talking Thermometer or Audio Monitor from Safety 1st! http://bit.ly/yrlPdr @thxmailcarrier #giveaway #win

1 Extra Entry (per follow method) if you follow me with Google Friend Connect, subscribe to my RSS feed, subscribe to Thanks, Mail Carrier by email, become a fan on Facebook or add Thanks, Mail Carrier to your blogroll.
2 Extra Entries if you put my cute button up on your blog. Please leave an address where it can be found.
3 Extra Entries if you blog about this giveaway linking back to this post. Please leave an address where it can be found.

Giveaway will end on March 14th at 11:59pm CST. By entering this sweepstakes, you are agreeing to these official rules. No purchase necessary, void where prohibited by law. 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. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning and the giveaway sponsor is solely responsible for prize fulfillment. This giveaway is open to U.S. residents only and entrants must be 18 years of age or older.

A big thank you to Safety 1st for providing a VersaScan TALKING Thermometer and Sound Moments Audio Monitor for me to review as well as the choice of the two 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.