Monthly news from Milk Magazine
Pop chicken feet:
What is this Macintosh with giant chicken feet on it? It is a Dior Mac! With its poppy colours, your little one will want to wear it even when it does not rain. If she has trouble falling asleep she can always count chicken feet, instead of sheep. Dior ’60s pop trench in piqué cotton, chicken feet print.
Arfa by Sirch:
Following the Maison et Object fair, we have been able to admire the new designs by the German Sirch. After designing toys, these Bavarians have turned to designing kids furniture. They have dreamed up a beautiful desk, made out of wood and felt. Available in three colours, it is accompanied by a chair or a stool, designed with the same clean lines in mind. You can already order it on File dans ta chambre, the site that is always on top of the most sparkling novelties.
Kup Kup Land:
This Spanish artist whose creative universe is called “Kup Kup Land” creates collages. In mixing bits of paper sourced from all over the place and fabrics such a felt she creates dream-like worlds. Sometimes they are animal dreamscapes and sometimes scapes of rain clouds. The easiest way to discover her world or purchase her work is by visiting her Etsy shop.
-Sophie Carré at Milk Magazine
Piu Piu
These little Piu Piu birds are meant for office use, where their main duty (due to their magnetic nature) is to hold paperclips. In our house however, these little birds are cute little companions to my children. I’m not really sure how it works (if it’s the movement of the hand or the warmth of the palm), but if you hold these little lovebirds in your hand they begin to sing! Very cute, and I’m actually very glad I got each of my children their own bird, because it’s one of those toys they will always fight over. And if they ever get tired of them? Then I’ll take them to the office! (The birds, not the kids.) Everybody happy!
xxx Esther
Under the Sea in 3D!
Taking young kids to the cinema can be risky business. No matter how great the film is, it will probably end up being too long to keep your kids’ attention, they’ll likely spill the popcorn, talk too much and too loudly, and need several trips to the toilet. (Can you tell I’ve learned the hard way?)
Last weekend, however, we risked it all and took the boys to see the Under the Sea 3D film at London’s BFI IMAX theatre, and it was a huge, huge hit!
You put the funny glasses on (which my kids loved), take a seat in front of the UK’s largest cinema screen (taller than 5 double decker buses!), and spend roughly 45 minutes feeling like you’re swimming under the sea, literally face-to-face with exotic sea creatures! My kids thought it was the coolest thing they’ve ever seen!
The IMAX films are short, they’re 3D, and they’re educational. Perfect for kids! I don’t know why I didn’t think of this before now…
-Courtney
Petit Stock
I do like to dress my daughters in nice clothes, but I don’t normally like to pay a huge price for it. After all, they grow so fast; sometimes they only wear an item of clothing a few times before it’s too small.
I recently discovered the kid’s clothes discount website called Petit Stock. It is great! It sells loads of my favourite labels, for example Eva and Oli, Le Marchand d’Etoiles and Airdeje at a hugely reduced rate. (The photo is of an Airdeje nightie which is being sold at 22 euros instead of 37 euros. Isn’t it lovely?) Most of the clothes are from the previous season, but they are beautiful. I promise that kids don’t care if their little nightie was actually designed for the winter of 2008 collection instead of the one for the summer of 2009!
The site does not only sell clothing, but also toys, bag and costumes. At the moment the site is only in French but they deliver internationally. And I’ve been told that the English version is in the making…..
- Emilie
Plush:)
If you asked me what I consider to be the best city in Europe (if not the world) for shopping, I would definitely answer Antwerp. I just love the Belgian clothing brands, both for me and for my kids. It’s all so funky and fresh but at the same time chic and stylish. I know Paris, London and Milan have pretty good shopping as well, but Antwerp is really compact and still has it all — perfect for me! Besides that, my dad lives in Antwerp part of the year, so I get to be there quite often to explore the city, which makes it easier…
Some day I will share some of the great (kiddie) shops of Antwerp with you, but for now I’m going to introduce you to my newest find of great Belgian brands: Plush.
Plush makes T-shirts that are made out of thick, soft, high-quality cotton with a great fit and nice colours. Good to start with already! But on top of that, they apply very, very cool creatures made out of felt on the tees which give them an instant look of super-cute and übercool, both at the same time!
I already have ‘Ol‘ for my daughter (there is also a really cute matching key-chain), and love it, and I just ordered a short sleeved one for my son. Good for potty training.
xxx Esther
Orangorilla
A couple of weeks ago I discovered the cutest little shop here in Milan. Orangorilla is owned by Marta who will welcome you with a gentle smile and guide you through all the nice things she has in her shop.
Orangorilla sells a variety of products ranging from children’s clothes and shoes, to handmade jewellery, plates and frames. Everything is chosen by Marta either because it’s useful or because it looks good.
My favourite pieces were part of the collection from the the shop’s original brands Orangorilla and Tototti (the nickname of Marta’s 3-year-old daughter). They are mainly simple and classic designs made with Liberty prints (and not the most obvious ones) together with cotton and linen. The quality and the care in the making are great, and on top of it all the pieces are nearly unique as she makes just one per size in all her styles. The Orangorilla brand also offers stylish polo-shirts for little boys, in nice colours or stripes. (more…)
What to do?
I’ve got another question for you all seeing as you were so helpful last time. What do you do when your baby can’t shake a cough? Little C has had a cough now for quite a few weeks. It alternates from being dry and chesty to rattly and wheezy. I just spoke to my mum and she says I should give him Baby Panadol every night until it clears. She is a big fan of pharmaceuticals, obviously!
I have been just trying to let it clear naturally. But it really isn’t going anywhere and my mum says that unless I treat it soon it might develop into bronchiolitis. As you might remember, he is nine months old and going to child care – so constantly exposed to germs. He doesn’t have a cold at the moment and is in good spirits. Just coughs a lot. What do you think I should do: let it run its course or intervene?
-Natalie
Campers for kids
There’s a little girl in my son’s nursery school who is always dressed in the coolest outfits, almost so cool I wish I could swap wardrobes! I suppose with a Korean mum and a French dad, this little girl is bound to have style!
She showed up to school yesterday wearing a new pair of Camper trainers, which I just loved! The funky laces, the cool colors, the unique yet practical design…
As with all Camper shoes, they’re designed to be comfortable — meant to mold to the foot with use.
Perfect for the summer, don’t you think?
-Courtney
Parisian park life
Spring has finally arrived in Paris! It is beautiful outside, the first flowers are blossoming and the sun is just warm enough that you can comfortably take the kids to the park, enjoy a ray of sunshine and feel semi-human again after months of hibernation.
Now here is a warning for anyone new to Paris or planning to visit Paris in the spring time: It is not necessarily allowed to sit on the grass in the parks! That’s right — there are very complex rules and regulations. First of all, during the winter (from the 14.10 to the 14.04) the grass in almost all parks has been given the time off. But, even come spring time it is not a given that you can plop yourself anywhere. You need to look out for tiny signs indicating if the grass is ‘resting’ or not.
In this city grass is apparently a completely decorative element in the park. It is normally closely guarded by a man in a uniform with a whistle, lest someone decides to break the law and step onto the sacred green ground. (more…)
Colour for your cash
Over 2 years ago I happened to find myself on the top floor of Selfridges in London, and my eye fell on a baby blue wallet by Designers Guild. I didn’t even know Designers Guild made wallets (though I love their bright coloured fabrics), and I couldn’t resist this beauty, both for the fresh colours and the reduced cost (half price sale, lucky me)!
Buying a wallet is sort of odd, I find — unloading the old one is kind of emotional (all those cards, pictures, receipts, notes…), and I never seem to be able to get rid of the discarded one — we went through so much together (good times and bad)!
Now, after hundreds and hundreds of days of extensive use of my Designers Guild wallet (I try not to, but it happens anyway), it is still in great shape so thankfully there is no need to part from it yet… But if you are interested, this place sells them, and they have matching passport covers too!
xxx Esther
The Very Hungry Caterpillar 40th Anniversary
Thanks to a post on Bambino Goodies I discovered that this year marks the 40th anniversary of the publication of the Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle. This is probably the best-ever-seller among children’s books, with over 29 million copies sold.
The funny thing is that the worldwide success of this book is clearly not due to Italians — who, to this day, mostly live unaware of this precious book. I owned it when I was a child, and then it went missing somehow. When I bought it for my son in a bookshop in London, I was extremely happy not only because it brought back nice memories that I could now share with my children, but also because (I thought) I had found something truly special – surely very few people knew this book. When I told the other girls about my find, they thought I was joking… they all own a copy of the book; some of them even own an entire Eric Carle collection!
To this day The Very Hungry Caterpillar is very difficult to find in Italy (and in Italian). The same cannot be said for the English speaking world, which can now celebrate the anniversary in style with a special edition pop-up book and a dvd (also available, of course, in the US).
-Michela
New Editions
It is a difficult thing to decorate a children’s room. There are the parents on the one side, with their grown-up, mature tastes and then there is the child, who normally has a hugely different idea of what she wants to hang on her walls.
I was recently introduced to New Editions Prints and I reckon this might be the answer to the taste dilemma: lovely prints that appeal to all. Founded by an artist and an art historian, New Edition prints can appeal to the grown-up taste of the parent’s and the child’s enjoyment in pictures and their inquisitive mind. They are really pieces of art and will grow with the child. The print we have, which is entitled Bucket o’ Bunnies by Michael Slater, has been the talk of the playgroup. It is nice to see that we have budding art critics in our midst!
- Emilie
Amos & Boris
My son’s nursery school teacher recommended I check out William Steig’s endearing tale of Amos & Boris. She knew my son would like it, given his long-lasting obsession with whales and other sea creatures.
Amos is a tiny mouse who winds up alone in the ocean, and Boris is an enormous whale who comes to his rescue. The story is about the bond between the two very different mammals.
Not only does my son love it, but it has become a cherished favorite in our house. A classic tale of friendship and love. (See a few sample pages here.)
William Steig is the award-winning author/illustrator of another favorite of ours, Sylvester and the Magic Pebble, and he also created Shrek — the precursor to the movie!
-Courtney
Georges et Rosalie
I recently came across Georges et Rosalie, a French brand that makes lovely and colourful decorational pieces for kids and their parents. Alexandra and Séverine, the owners and creators, find most of their fabrics in Vietnam, and I must say they know how to combine them in the most creative and original ways! I love the porte-couche, pictured. I suppose it holds pyjamas, but I’m not entirely sure… Whatever it holds, it’s really cute!
We have a guirlande made out of little rabbits and a carrot, and it’s a lovely piece in our kids’ room. It’s made with a lot of attention to detail.
If you’re in the middle of decorating a baby room and want to stay away from the obvious baby blue and pink, I suggest having a look at the cute bedding from this brand. Very refreshing indeed.
xxx Esther
Wheels on the bus
I have given into the hype and acquired an iPhone and am loving it. It holds all my addresses, calendars and emails. I feel like I am the most organised person alive (which I am not: Courtney and Esther are).
I have only recently discovered another huge advantage of my new favourite gadget: it is a great thing to distract my 3-year-old! I was stuck on a train the other day with a very grumpy toddler, and I suddenly remembered a little download one of our readers wrote to us about. I downloaded it and suddenly — heavenly silence for a good little while. (A good little while in this situation constituted of feeding the toddler’s little sister her full lunch uninterrupted…).
The Wheels on the Bus iPhone game was developed by some mom’s who realised how much little kids like to play with their parents’ iPhones. They decided to make something educational and fun for them. The game can be played in different languages and there are lots of little things that can be moved around on the screen, keeping little minds busy. The other great thing is that this toy is impossible to forget, as it is right there, on your mobile!
- Emilie
Natural love
I was just checking out the latest products from Pure Baby and I couldn’t stop ooh-ing and aah-ing. Such beautiful products. And the boys’ range has the most perfect colours. Perhaps it’s because the woman behind the business, Mirabai, has a son, Oliver. As any of you know who do have a boy – there’s just such limited choice for nice clothes. But everything at Pure Baby is gorgeous. And they’re all organic. Plus, well priced. I’m hooked!
Oh, and Pure Baby is also associated with Made-by – a Netherlands-based organisation that helps companies “clean up” their production process by not only using 100% organic cotton in their manufacturing but also producing clothes in socially responsible ways.
-Natalie
My pregnancy books
I know most you have children already, but there is a chance someone might be looking for some suggestions about pregnancy books — if only to give as a gift to their good friend who is expecting for the first time.
To tell you the truth some people I know go through pregnancy (even the first) without reading anything but the NHS leaflets, and it’s perfectly fine! But if you are like me than you might want one or two (or three) books that tell you in depth what’s going on inside you.
So here we go, this is what I read:
1. What To Expect When You’re Expecting: This must be the best-seller pregnancy book ever. It’s easy to read and it contains loads of information. Although I read the revised UK edition it felt a bit too much focused on the American system.
2. The Rough Guide to Pregnancy and Birth: This could be a good companion to any other more “serious” pregnancy manual you choose. It does contain loads of advice and information, but the week-to-week progress is narrated in a semi-fictitious weekly diary. Really funny — this will not allow you to take yourself too seriously.
3. Birth and Beyond…: This is definitely my favourite. I found it reassuring and empowering, something you badly need during your first pregnancy. It covers pregnancy and the first 9 months of the baby’s life. Written by one of the world’s leading obstetricians, it takes a holistic approach covering aspects regarding both parents and the baby. It also includes an extensive reference section.
So this is what I have in my library. What’s in yours?
-Michela
Jergens naturals
I received a couple samples of the new Jergens Naturals range of lotions recently, and despite my lack of enthusiasm and (dare I admit my beauty snobbery?!) initial skepticism, I am loving it!
Jergens is a mass-market brand that has been a popular fixture in most American pharmacies for over a century… synonymous, in my mind, with low prices and synthetic ingredients… which is why I initially turned my nose up to it.
BUT, the new Jergens line offers four different body moisturizers which are 95% natural, free from parabens and silicones and made with natural ingredients like Jojoba oil, avocado, olive oil, soy extracts, pomegranate, etc.
And, for the first time Jergens is being launched here in the UK, available from Boots, Superdrug and most supermarkets. The best bit? The price. A natural body moisturizer that actually works… available for only £4.88? What a steal!
-Courtney
ONE YEAR AGO WE WROTE ABOUT:
• End of ‘having babies’ theme week• Wrap dress, again…
• Tricotti, again…
• Got milk?
• The jealous bunch (or older siblings)
• TENS machine
• c-sections, not bad after all
Little Label, BIG BASICS
Apparently most mothers here in the Netherlands know the brand Little Label from the moment they discover they’re pregnant with their first born. I must admit I’ve been missing out on the goodies until a couple of weeks ago! Both Courtney and Michela recently made me aware of this fabulous Dutch brand, and of course I immediately checked it out to report back to them (and you)!
I tried out clothes for both my daughter and my son, and I’m more than convinced! The quality of Little Label is excellent — even after a couple of washes the clothes look like new. The colours are truly great — very cool and trendy and they can be combined easily. The cut is fantastic — not sloppy or too wide at all, but a cute and snug fit. Lastly, the cost is absolutely more than reasonable!
If you’re searching for great basics, I’m telling you – look no further. The sizes run from newborn up to 128 cm (8 years), and are available from Little Label’s online shop.
xxx Esther
ONE YEAR AGO WE WROTE ABOUT:
• Tummy-tuck in a tube• Giving birth the not so French way
• Very essential oils
• It is not always a smooth ride
• Say no to drugs?
Tipitipi
Bibs, bibs, bibs and more bibs. How can one single child use so many bibs as my little daughter, I ask you? We wake up, she has breakfast: one bib. She is now having a sippy cup of milk on her own (very autonomous, very messy) at 10 am: second bib. Lunch: bib number three. The famous afternoon goûter: bib four. And finally we move on to bib number five for dinner. Maybe I am not good at aiming the food directly at her mouth or maybe she is just a messy eater. Either way, we use a lot of bibs.
As she is the second child, most of our bibs are discoloured, clean-but-stained things that just do the job. The Tipitipi bibs I recently got are in a different category entirely. They are made in Portugal out of beautiful, locally woven cotton, with a lovely simple design detail on each of them. They wash really well and have been standing up to the stains they have been subjected to very well indeed.
- Emilie
ONE YEAR AGO WE WROTE ABOUT:
• Tummy-tuck in a tube• Giving birth the not so French way
• Very essential oils
• It is not always a smooth ride
• Say no to drugs?
