Parents Magazine Unveils Winner Of Dreft's "America's Messiest Baby" Contest

NEW YORK, April 4, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Parents, the most trusted publication for parents and the leading voice for moms within the Meredith Parents Network, announced today the winner of Dreft's "America's Messiest Baby" contest. The contest, which drew more than 5,000 submissions, was held in partnership with Dreft, the No. 1 pediatrician-recommended baby detergent and a trusted name in fabric care for over 80 years. The May 2017 issue features grand-prize winner, Camri, of Cedar Hill, Texas, on the primary cover. Getting messy was all in a day's play for her and the nine other runners-up who are featured, crisp and clean, on the second cover.

From bananas to spaghetti to puddings and everything in between, babies can certainly get messy, but studies show that smashing, throwing and playing with food can actually help babies learn.¹ According to a Dreft survey conducted in the fall of 2016², 87 percent of moms often encourage their children to pick activities that are unlikely to get them messy over ones that are, even though more than 80 percent agree that their child learns more, and that children are happier, when they make a mess.

The Dreft "America's Messiest Baby" contest encouraged parents to embrace the messes that come with babyhood and allow Dreft to take care of the mess. This way, parents can rejoice in the fact that a messy baby is a sign of a content, well-adjusted one. Parents were asked to submit a photo of their favorite messy baby moment or post their photo on Twitter or Instagram using the hashtag #messiestbabycontest for the opportunity to have their little one featured on the cover of Parents.

"As parents, we experience messy moments with our kids constantly, but there's peace of mind knowing we can get the stains out of our baby's clothes and that we'll look back and cherish these times," said Parents Editor-in-Chief Liz Vaccariello. "We're thrilled to celebrate with Dreft all that the fun of messiness can bring for babies—from more creativity later on in life, to relaxation and even happiness. We hope to inspire families everywhere to appreciate the memories and enjoy the spills, drops and stains just a bit more."

Parents and Dreft found "America's Messiest Baby" by reviewing more than 5,000 photo entries submitted by moms and dads. Ten finalists were selected and then invited to New York City to take part in a photo and video shoot.

"Messiness during meals, playtime and diaper changing is a rite of passage for us parents—and we've seen it all, from cheeks smeared with sweet potato puree, to baby clothes that start to look tie-dyed after feeding. This is all part of the joy of parenthood and should be celebrated, not dreaded," said Dreft Brand Manager Michael Frey. "We are so happy to 'embrace the mess' with all of the families that entered the contest, and Dreft is proud to offer them the reassurance they need by removing 99 percent of baby food stains from baby clothing."

As part of the Parents integration, Dreft sponsored the two-cover finalist reveal in the May issue with an adjacent advertorial highlighting the finalists' messy entry photos. Additionally, a custom digital editorial slideshow featuring the messy entry photos and a Dreft "behind-the-scenes" video will run on Parents.com starting April 15.

The May 2017 issue of Parents, featuring Camri and finalists of Dreft's "America's Messiest Baby" contest, will be on sale April 11.

ABOUT MEREDITH PARENTS NETWORK
The Meredith Parents Network is a collection of parenting brands targeting millennial women – Parents, FamilyFun, Ser Padres, Parents Latina and Fit Pregnancy and Baby as well as FitPregnancy.com, Parents.com and Parenting.com – reflecting the multi-faceted experience of what it means to be a mom today. The brands reach moms through dynamic media platforms that engage them in ways they can personally relate to in the moments, places, and languages that are meaningful to them. The Meredith Parents Network reaches a combined audience of over 30 million readers, while the digital properties reach over 11 million unduplicated unique monthly visitors and have a social reach of over 5 million followers.

ABOUT DREFT®
As the baby laundry detergent brand most recommended by pediatricians, Dreft is specially formulated to be gentle on baby's skin and tough on stains. Parents have relied on Dreft for over 80 years to help bring cuddle time to a whole new level of warm and fuzzy. Now Dreft has a product for every stage of babyhood, each specially formulated with growing little ones in mind. From pregnancy through toddlerhood and beyond, Dreft's family of products has you covered every step of the way on the big, messy, amazing, beautiful journey ahead. Dreft is available at retailers nationwide, in-store and online. For more information and the latest news, please visit www.dreft.com.

¹ "Highchair philosophers: the impact of seating context-dependent exploration on children's naming biases," Lynn K. Perry, Larissa K. Samuelson and Johanna B. Burdinie. Developmental Science, Published online: Dec. 1 2013.

² P&G Data on File. Online survey among 500 U.S. moms  of children who ages 6 months to 4 years old conducted by an independent research firm between September and October 2016.

SOURCE Meredith Corporation