Keep Warm & Fashionable
Just because it’s windy, rainy and even snowing a little lately doesn’t mean we’re hiding and staying indoors. We still like to take baby on long winter strolls and toddle on down for a hot latte or two. Instead of piling the blankies high, we’ve been using our brilliant new b blanket from Rain Or Shine Kids. It’s resistant to water and wind and ties very conveniently onto our stroller. No more chasing babe’s blankets on blustery days. Love the patterns on the soft polar fleece and the ribbon ties add a stylish and practical touch. We went with the green and beige Ring design, but all three patterns look modern and celeb worthy. Rain Or Shine Kids also makes the now famous Woobee all weather blanket that we still love and use almost everyday too. We found that they both make a great last minute picnic blanket or impromptu nursing cover. If we had a “Top 10 Baby Items Ever” list (which we really should!)…this blanket would be on it. It’s a hit with celeb mommies too. Just ask Allison Sweeney, Angela Bassett and Marcia Cross. Have a look at the b blanket, and their line of gorgeous bibs and burp clothes too at www.rainorshinekids.com
Rain Or Shine Kids is having a site wide 20% off sale until the 21st using coupon code ‘holiday20′….Yipee!
Oompa + Dollhouse = Happy Mom
It’s time to start thinking about Christmas momma….you just can’t put it off any longer. To avoid the stress and lineups, we stay clear of the mall and have been doing some shopping at Oompa Toys. We like to shop at night, online, with a yummy glass of Shiraz, when the kids are tucked in…you can’t do that at the mall. Our favorite find at Oompa? The Chalet DollHouse by Plan Toys. It’s this super cool wooden house that comes in two units, one with three floors and the second with two floors. Your wee one can use their imagination to decide how to arrange them. Love that it’s made of natural rubber wood and free of nasty chemicals. The furniture that it comes with is hip and modern…makes you want to redo your own house. So ditch the local mall mommy and sit back with you fave beverage and shop away in style like us at www.oompa.com
Eco Friendly High Tea
Everyday around 4 o’clock we have high tea at our house. The 2 year old gets out her best dishes and serves mommy plastic cake and cookies. Yum. Since this is a daily ritual, it’s time she had a fabulous tea set to play with. With all the fuss over the chemicals found in toys these days we were so relieved to find GREEN TOYS. They’re a fabulous company that uses recycled milk jugs to make toys that are BPA, phathalates,and lead free. Love the girly pastel shades and how durable the pieces feel. Who knew you could save the earth while sharing tea with your tot? Go green with this modern little tea set at www.greentoys.com
Smart & Clever
Forget Harvard…we’ve got fancy dancy flashcards that will teach our tots all they need to know to get by in this crazy world…well maybe not everything, but they’ll certainly know what a rhombus is…even though we don’t. Tiffany Ard makes fabulous flashcards and nursery decor for the “science nerd” (her words…not ours) hiding inside you. We have to admit that even though science isn’t our forte, we love these clever sets of cards and posters. The graphics are original and keep baby interested, while you get to show off to your snooty friends that your wee one knows how to say “electromagnet”. Not too big or bulky, they’ll fit right into your diaper bag. Get smarter and see all that Tiffany has created at www.tiffanyard.com…..and will someone please tell us what a xylem is?
Peter Rabbit Goes Green
We’re all for organic and green clothes for your baby. Responsible fashion is style. Now that we make a conscientious effort to purchase eco friendly clothing, we thought it was time we focused on toys made with organic materials. Our latest find? Naturally Better Peter Rabbit…yes my mommy friends, Beatrix Potter’s wee little friend has teamed up with Kids Preferred and gone green. How fabulous! Peter is made of organic cotton and packed in recyclable and reusable packaging. Our tot loves how super soft he feels and we love that this favorite little rabbit is safe for her to cuddle. Bye bye mommy guilt! Flopsy, Mopsy and Cotton tail have also had an eco makeover, and we think they make a fantastic gift that’s both classic and modern at the same time. Check out our favorite toy shop FAO SHWARTZ to see our favorite tree hugging rabbit at www.fao.com
Fabulous Baby Toys From Vulli
You just can’t knock a toy that’s been a favorite since 1961, can you? Sophie The Giraffe, made by the brilliant toy company Vulli (www.vulli-toys.com) is an absolute cult classic when it comes to babies. Made in the French Alps (ohh la la!) with natural rubber and non toxic paint, Sophie is the perfect safe toy to get your newborn. So what’s got every baby we know hooked on Sophie? They must love the soft rubber, subtle squeaks and easy grasp of this retro toy. It makes a fussy teething baby happy . Mommies love how entertained and soothed their baby is when Sophie is around…our advice? Get at least two, because if baby looses Sophie, you’ll loose your sanity when nothing else calms them quite the same. According to The Globe and Mail, celeb moms have a thing for Sophie as well. Kate Hudson, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Debra Messing all relied on this little French giraffe too. Don’t just take our word for it, see how addictive Sophie is at www.sophiegiraffeusa.com.
For our Canadian readers, check out www.buginarug.info
Organic Gifts For Mommy & Baby
Who doesn’t like to receive a gift? Make that gift organic, safe for the environment and wrap it up in a gorgeous box and you’ll have us hooked. GreenBaby Gifts puts together all natural, eco friendly gifts that are super luxurious and safe for you and baby. After hearing about them from several impressed readers we had to see the gift boxes ourselves…and we ordered ourselves the Nursery Necessities Gift Box. All items are thoughtfully chosen and the presentation is very impressive. The box it came in is a gift itself.. Why wait for a baby shower when you can treat yourself momma? A beautiful box filled with all the lovely things you’ll need those first few weeks after baby arrives will make your day and who doesn’t need a little pampering? The organic crib sheet and onesie that came in the gift set are neutral in shade, and the body wash smells so yummy and won’t hurt babe’s newborn skin. Nothing “gimmicky” or wasteful, you’ll use all of the earth friendly and safe products. Greenbaby has gift boxes for mommies and toddlers too that are filled with organic goodness, and they make a smashing baby shower present. Swanky, healthy and tons of fun to open, get yourself a little piece of organic luxury at www.greenbaby-gifts.com
Mommy Favorite:Bla Bla Kids
Wouldn’t it be nice to have time to knit your baby some clothes and toys? Not all of us have the time or much needed talent to do so. Thank goodness for BLA BLA KIDS, a fabulous company that designs and creates knitted clothing, toys, puppets and mobiles from soft and natural fibers. After looking at all their gorgeous products we finally decided on one of BLA BLA’S sweet mobiles. It’s simple, yet very engaging…it doesn’t make noise or come with batteries or start up when the baby cries, and that’s the beauty of it. This mobile really looks and feels like something your loving Grandma made. Knitted by Peruvian artisans in a fair trade environment, we think you’ll find that BLA BLA’S creations are something you’ll want to hand down from this generation to the next. Everything they make is just so cuddly and unbelievably soft…are we gushing too much? Can’t help it. We just love their concept and creations so much and think they are super gush worthy. Have a look at their shop and get as addicted as we are to BLA BLA at www.blablakids.com
Hip & Smart Travel Gear For Baby
Can you tell we have travel on our minds? When spring hits we can’t help but think of the warm summer months ahead and how fabulous it is to jump on a plane and have a fun family vacation(yes it can be done mommas). How do you keep a wee one busy on long car rides down Route 66 and delayed flights at Heathrow? What do you do when they tire of the DVD and start to whinge? Keep them busy with all the cool and well chosen travel finds at Little Jet Set, a fabulous web site that has everything from funky suitcases to amazingly soft blankets for that much needed nap. They carry must have products from many exclusive brands including Lug, Mud Pie and Latitude Enfant. When you’re a busy mommy you don’t have time to research all the hip and fabulous things you need to make travel time more fun and enjoyable. Little Jet Set does all the work for us busy parents and is run by two mommies that know their stuff. We chose several little luxuries from their site to make our trip run more smoothly: A travel capsule from Lug (mommy needs some treats too), a super soft Dino Play Blanket by Mud Pie and Little Docs Starter Kit to keep our babe’s sensitive skin happy in new surroundings. Little Jet Set will make sure you have the perfect travel toys and gear to make it through your next big adventure. Check out www.littlejetset.com
Modern & Fresh: Zen Collection by Fisher Price
What do hip and stylish mommies want? Baby gear that compliments our own personal style. We don’t want over sized cartoon characters and out of tune lullabies. We want baby’s bassinet and highchair to look fabulous in our living space. We want calm and inviting pieces that show our brilliant taste. Thank goodness FISHER PRICE has started to hear our cries and have created a gorgeous and soothing line of baby necessities simply called The Zen Collection. We had the pleasure of trying out their new infant seat. Very impressive. We love the dark wood accents and the sage green and chocolate brown fabrics along with the free hanging dragonfly toy. The chair vibrates and plays several different tunes and nature sounds. It’s so relaxing that we almost fell into a restful sleep too. It’s time to toss the loud and tacky baby gear and get back to simpler and more nurturing times at www.fisher-price.com
