Babyccino kids on Ohdeedoh
Ohdeedoh featured our newly designed city-guides — check out what they say for some insider information on Paris, New York, London and Amsterdam!!
Soho Parenting
I owe my sanity to the wise women of Soho Parenting. It was not so long ago that I basically crawled through the door of their downtown office for some much needed guidance on setting up a new sleep schedule for my 9-month-old twins. I must admit, the first visit was not easy for me as I have always prided myself on being a mom who relied on her gut instinct to power though the ups and downs and never one to read a parenting book. After months of sleep-deprivation and general feelings of being overwhelmed however, it was time to reach out to a professional — so glad I did. (more…)
Marie de Paris
Estelle from Nordinary recently introduced me this lovely series of books from Paris-based editing house, ABC Melody.
The books feature children in cities all over the world, and they are really well done. You have Marie à Paris, Eva à Stockholm, Charlie from London and lots more. They beautifully describe each child’s life: what they do during the day, eat for breakfast, how they live and how they spend their free time. Marie de Paris is my daughter’s favourite book at the moment as she totally identifies with this little girl and the life she leads. The book captures the daily life of a little Parisian perfectly. The other books in the series are great too and really make kids realize how children in other cities live, perfect for multi-cultural children. (more…)
Mamascarf, for discreet breastfeeding in public
Little did I know that breastfeeding a 5-day-old baby in the front row of a jam-packed circus was going to be a bit of a… challenge. Yes, you’re reading that right: 5-day-old, and: jam-packed circus. Thankfully I was wise enough to bring a Mama Scarf, so the spotlights on my boobs were cleverly avoided. The Mama Scarf is a stylish scarf that becomes sort of a hammock for your baby, allowing for discreet breastfeeding in public. What I like about it that it’s made of thin, cute fabric, and it doesn’t scream for attention. (It’s not like one of those, ‘hello everybody, I’m breast-feeding, but I’m covered up, as you can clearly see, so don’t look’ kind of covers.) Thanks, Mama Scarf, for saving my day at the circus.
xxx Esther
ONE YEAR AGO WE WROTE ABOUT:
• Bonnets for babies — vintage handkerchiefs for brides!• Wonderous Wovenplay
Win! A $100 gift voucher to Olive Juice at Tada! Shop
If you haven’t yet discovered the Tada! Shop website, then you should go immediately. It’s a one-stop shop for children’s clothes, toys, accessories, etc., which brings together so many different brands, both big and small — from the larger shops like J.Crew to the smaller boutiques like Sweet William. And it’s all gathered and sold from one site, making shopping for your kids so much easier. Just check out their Create A Look tool — how fun is it to create an outfit?! I just love that you can mix and match so many different brands. We had the pleasure of creating several different outfits for a guest editorial this week — check it out!
And to win a $100 gift certificate to spend on the Olive Juice brand (pictured), just sign up with Tada! Shop here and leave a comment below by next Friday, July 23rd, and we’ll pick one winner at random! Good luck!
This give-away is now closed.
ONE YEAR AGO WE WROTE ABOUT:
• Bonnets for babies — vintage handkerchiefs for brides!• Wonderous Wovenplay
The brilliance of the SpringFree Trampoline
I was quite adamant that we would never get a trampoline. I had visions of concussions, broken limbs and teeth knocked out (hey, my brother-in-law is a neurosurgeon). That we live in a townhouse with a little courtyard didn’t help. The trampoline would take up at least half of this and wasn’t really the kind of view I had in mind for the glass walls looking out. But that was before I discovered the brilliance of the Springfree Trampoline.
The hours and hours of fun we have had (me included), not just jumping but reading, playing cars, throwing balls, picnics, performances… drying my washing and airing out my blankets — even taking our pillows out for a spot of stargazing. For my daughter it doubles as her ‘clubhouse’. For my son it is his batman cave. For me it is a padded cell to place my kids when I am in dire need of peace and quiet. All this has well and truly compensated for my view (or lack thereof). But really the best aspect of all is that it is a great and fun source of exercise for the whole family (apparently every muscle gets a go). (more…)
Bellieboo — sweet things from Japan
Although I’ve never been, I have a fascination with Japan. I love the food (sushi), I love the architecture (Tadao Ando), I love the writing (mysterious), I love the products (Muji) — I must make my way over there at some point because I’m pretty sure I’ll discover a whole lot more that I will love…
Yumiko, who moved from Japan to England in 1996, started her online business, Bellieboo, after she had her daughter in 2004. Since she was unable to find clothes she liked for her little girl in barbaric Europe, she started bringing back special pieces from her home country of Japan. In her shop you can find sweet little girl clothes, and shortly there will be sweet little boys clothes too. There are also a few lovely toys and accessories to be found in the Bellieboo shop — like this retro, reversible sling that I think is cool beyond words, and that Ava is currently very happily residing in.
xxx Esther
Giant Bubbles
I just read this post about how to make girant bubbles on Bambino Goodies and I am hooked. Imagine making huge bubbles out of hula hoops and bent, metal coat hangers? I seriously cannot imagine anything more fun. I personally recommend adding in a couple spoonfuls of sugar. Who knows why… but it makes the bubbles even stronger. I am now off to my local pharmacy to pick up a bottle of glycerine and some non-eco washing up liquid to produce the perfect bubble!
- Emilie
Sidewalk Shoe Survival Balm
Rejoice! Summer is here in full force and with the clunky boots now tossed to the back of the closet it’s time to break out the cute sandals and flats. But oh my… ouch… so uncool… breaking in the new shoes for the new season also means blisters and sore feet!
A very good friend of mine from college has been working on this product for years now and just recently rolled it out. She is a mama herself and one that always looks amazing and stylish. In her pre-mommy days she used to do all sorts of healthy San Francisco-ish things like ironman’s and triathalon’s and as a result was always looking for a lady-like product to ease her sore feet. Sidewalk Survival Balm was born out of her love for comfort and high fashion and her organic foot-saver is a god-send that smells incredible. After taking it for a bunch of test runs, I can attest that it really works. Basically, it’s a protective balm for feet, almost like a chapstick, and I keep one in my bag to offer instant relief from rubbing shoes. I am even going to use it on my kids as they break in their new summer sandals. She will ship internationally if you contact her directly and is offering Babyccino readers a discount of 20% off till the end of July. Just use promo code: babyccino.
-Dina
Imps & Elfs Footless Tights
I got a few pairs of these Imps & Elfs Footless Tights for my daughter last year and they turned out to be one of the best staples in her closet. They’re great for babies because they can crawl or walk without slipping, yet they keep bare legs cozy on a colder day. They’re essentially like leggings, but in a nice, thick, soft material. And how cool are those colours? They’re available from The Emperor’s New Clothes.
-Courtney
Room Seven: Sweet dresses for playing and parading
I already knew that the beautiful bedding and bag range from Room Seven was absolutely stunning, but I had never heard of their clothing line until very recently. Maybe for the better, as it probably did save me some money! But now I’m in trouble… How sweet are these baby dresses, how perfect are the daring combinations of patterns, colours, frills and flowers, making them romantically old-fashioned but at the same time fresh and contemporary. Who can resist? Not I.
These dresses are just as perfect for playing as for parading, and they can easily be machine-washed, so not just for weekends.
BTW, is there something familiar to the Room Seven style?? Well Room Seven is the brand of Brechtje Olsthoorn, the talented daughter of Willem and Marieke Olsthoorn, brains and creative designer behind world-famous Oilily. Like mother, like daughter, we say.
xxx Esther
Weekend Get-away: Barcelona
To introduce our new weekend getaway feature, here is our first post from Marta in Barcelona. Barcelona is one of my favourite Mediterranean cities. It has the perfect mixture of culture, beauty, beach life and beautiful weather. It always strikes me as such a relaxed city that is easy to explore and perfect to visit ‘en famille’.
Whilst searching for someone with inside info about visiting Barcelona with kids I remembered Marta. Marta lives with her husband and little son in the wonderful Gracia part of Barcelona. She is a professional translator and also a blogger. Her blog English in Barna, is about life in Barcelona, her blog A Bilingual Bébé gives tips to Spanish speaking parents on how to raise their child bilingually, and finally she also blogs for the international organisation Pocket Cultures. All in all Marta is the perfect person to start off our new feature. I do hope you enjoy discovering Barcelona through her post. And please do leave us any comments or recommendations you have about Barcelona. The more ideas the merrier… (more…)
Babyccino Kids Weekend Get-aways
Before having kids, traveling was a piece of cake. You could book a last-minute flight, zip off to an unknown destination, take a quick break, relax and discover a new city. It didn’t really matter where you stayed, where you ate, how long it took to get there, etc. But now, all those logistics must be considered and the itinerary planned. It seems the easiest thing to do is head to a city you already know, or visit friends who can show you around, or get recommendations from a friend who has been before. Which is why (drum roll please) we’re so excited about this new Weekend Getaways feature…
We will be continually featuring different travel destinations from around the world, offering a mini Weekend guide for what to do and where to go, all written by a local parent or a frequent traveler to the city — an expert with tips to share. It will make discovering new cities all the more do-able to have a reliable list of things to do/see with your kids.
After all, traveling with kids is a lot of fun, especially if you know where to go. We hope our tips inspire you.
- Emilie
New York Magazine Feature: “I Love my Children. I Hate My Life.”
There is no denying that motherhood is as amazing and enjoyable as it is difficult, stressful and monotonous, and while I would not trade it for anything in the entire world I do appreciate some of the honesty of this recent feature that ran this week in New York Magazine titled “I Love My Children. I Hate My Life”. It seems to be the modern problem — and especially for those women who had children later in life after a long stretch on independence. I can only speak for myself here but all too often I find myself in a never ending inner dialogue of “am I getting this right?”, “am I a failure because I feel stressed out about meal planning” and “am I a bad mom for taking a break from time to time?” Not to mention feeling discombobulated in general about my role OUTSIDE of being a mother. (more…)
Nyp Balm, food for your boobs (and baby’s bottom)
The third time around, breastfeeding was easy. I knew exactly what to do, and the baby also got it immediately — she was breastfeeding within minutes after she was born, as if we both had been doing nothing else for years. Life is beautiful.
I also knew exactly what to expect a few days after the birth. Painful boobs the size of melons, hard, hot and with red blotches. Sleeping sitting up. Sore, cracked nipples, feeding bra size 100Z (too small). Have you ever had to pull a cracked nipple sticking to your bra? Ouch. Life is a bitch.
Enter Inlight Nyp Balm. A natural, 100% organic, wonderful smelling soothing balm that does the trick. Before birth, it’s used to help stretch the skin and prevent stretch-marks. After the birth it soothes and heals sore nipples. And, what I possibly like best about it is that now that I don’t need the Nyp Balm myself anymore (yay), I can use the rest for my baby’s bum. No spills! Because it also calms red and irritated baby bottoms wonderfully well.
All ingredients in Nyp Balm (like moisturising olive and coconut oil, protective beeswax, anti-inflammatory lavender and restorative rosehip oil) do not alter the flavour of the maternal milk and are easily tolerated by babies.
xxx Esther
The Heart and the Bottle
Have you read Oliver Jeffers’ new book, The Heart and the Bottle
Oliver Jeffers takes a deeply sad topic (death of a loved one) and tries to show the emotions involved. As an adult, I think it’s such a lovely story, but my kids certainly did not pick up on that. Did yours?
-Courtney
Win! Genius Pads
A while ago Courtney sang the praises of the Genius Pads — the giant sticky note pads. Such a clever idea, and such an ideal product to have in the house! My children love to draw on them because they stick to the table really well and are easy to display when finished. And I love to use them for all sorts of messages around the house.
To celebrate their Genius Pad Life Cycle, a tree re-planting project in Sri Lanka, Arash + Kelly are giving away 5 Genius Pads to 5 lucky Babyccino Kids readers. Yay! Just leave one comment below by Wednesday, July 14th for your chance to win a super handy, giant sticky note pad, and we’ll pick 5 lucky winners at random. Good luck!!
xxx Esther
Football Fever
I have completely caught the football fever! While I normally never watch football and only have a faint notion of what ‘offsides’ means, I get so excited every four years when the World Cup is on! I love seeing all the different ways the teams play, the outrageous behaviour of some players and the impressive sportsmanship of others. I am even starting to argue about games and playing styles, hoping that no one will catch on that I actually have zero background information and that my new found enthusiasm is going to disappear the moment the final ball has been played.
Football World Cups do have everything: suspense, politics, gossip and even outrageous fashion (if you follow the footballers wives). This year, most of my teams are out, though I am still cheering very hard for Germany. Has anyone else caught the football fever? Or am I the only female jumping up and down in front of the TV after the kids have gone to bed?
- Emilie
This is how we roll…
When I think back to all of the useless things that I bought when I had my twins I literally cringe. I had it all…the Bumbo seat, the baby food ice tray storage, TWO of those ridiculous rainbow Whoozit things that you hang on the stroller and my god, I even had a baby wipes warmer! The best purchase that I made to date, far and above anything else, was our Mountain Buggy Double Stroller which I still use to this day. While the stroller is ideal for twins, it is also great for two kids under four as it allows for a variety of seating options. They even make a triple stroller in the event that you have three little ones to push about (yikes). Although I love the look of the Phil and Ted’s double stroller — I was never a huge fan of having one poor kid wedged at street level. The Urban Double also has a great “peek-a-boo” window so you can see the kids and they can see you! (more…)
Cute sneakers from DPam
Emilie brought a pair of canvas sneakers from the French shop Du Pareil au Même for my daughter when she came to visit last month and they’ve turned out to be the go-to shoe of the summer. My daughter, of course, LOVES them, and I love them because they’re so easy to put on and take off. My daughter’s pair has a velcro strap across the top, but they also have a bigger kids’ version (pictured) with an elasticated strap. So simple, yet so cute. And now on sale!
-Courtney
