The Mundo Cargo Bike
Another cool spotting on the streets of Tribeca! While walking my girls back from swim class last night (all of us tired, hungry and cranky as could be) a man on a bike whizzed past us with two kids sitting snugly on the back. Immediately one of my daughter started screaming “I WANT THAT NOWWWWWWWWW!!!!! and I looked at her and said “ME TOOOOOOO!!!”
A few blocks later and I found it parked on the street and we all went to investigate. Turns out there is a company in California called Yuba that makes them and it is way cool. The Mundo Cargo Bike is essentially a utility bicycle that is made with the intent of hauling heavier loads. It’s not much longer than a traditional bicycle and has a long sturdy plank on the back, and because it doesn’t have a large basket like a Bakfiets, it’s more city friendly. True, it is a bit of an investment, but the way I see it it would have saved me a lot of stress about making it to school on time. New York is becoming more and more bike friendly these days with separate paved lanes and ample bike parking cropping up everywhere so we will probably start to see more Mundos as time goes on. Sad I missed the boat on this one….
-Dina
Esthex Travel Collection
We’ve written about Dutch brand Esthex before and I know you’re all big, big fans, so I’m pretty sure you’ll love Esther Schuiven’s new travel collection as much as I do. There’s a fun suitcase and matching backpack in harlequinesque colour schemes with blue or pink, and the super cute character Fieke also transformed into a cool backpack. I can tell you from personal experience that those cute backpacks are the perfect size for school-going kids, and, as all Esthex products, they are machine washable, which comes in handy in case of milk spills…
Available through Esthex’s webshop.
xxx Esther
BPA-Free Snackpots from VUP baby
How cute are these little TumTum Snack Pots from VUPbaby, each with a little bug on the lid? They’re made from BPA-free plastic, are dishwasher safe and fit one inside the other for easy storage. Cute for inside lunch boxes or for storing after school snacks. Or… you can do what I just did and give them to your 2-year-old and ask her to stack and sort them. Mine sat there for nearly 20 minutes completely entertained!
-Courtney
Playtime Paris
This weekend, from the 29th to the 31st of January, Playtime will be in Paris. Playtime is now the children’s events in Paris — it’s always at lot of fun and really inspiring. A number of great brands will be represented, such a Bobo Choses, Lily and the Funky Boys, Mundo Melicoton, April Showers by Polder, Ada Ada… and lots of other Babyccino Kids favourites .
Such a fun chance to meet up with people, see how brands have developed and discover new and exciting labels. And there is always a great space to take your children to play, and a place to meet up for coffee. Let me know if you are going to be there!
-Emilie
Super cute name labels from Mooo
Summer holidays are coming to an end (phew — I need a break from all the cleaning and washing a ’stayvacation’ entails). Aussie children are back to school, the start of a brand new school year. And that means labels. Lot’s of them. Especially for my son who starts his very first year of school (so exciting) and who would be prone to losing his beautiful head, were it not so well attached to his body. These adorable name labels are from Mooo. They also do the coolest personalised books which I have always intended to get for my children but which I have never got around to organizing. Also personalised bags, pencil cases, wooden puzzels, stationery, canvas art and an array of other personalised goodies, all of which make fabulous birthday present options.
- Sara
Tiny People, Byron Bay
If only my daughter still let me dress her! Isn’t this little jumpsuit totally gorgeous? It is by sweet Aussie brand fabric from a shop called TinyPeople . Tiny People is in the eclectic town of Byron Bay on the far north coast of NSW. Byron Bay is quite a hippie little town. Think ‘bohemian cool’ … locals wearing tie-dye sarongs, frangipani sandals and wooden beads, organic produce markets every Thursday, and tempeh, veggie and chickpea burgers — a Byron Bay fast food staple. Unfortunately, I don’t get to visit Byron as often as I’d like to (it is a good 2 hour plane trip from Melbourne), but when I am there I always pop into this very cool little store. Not only do they carry some of my favourite local brands like Little Horn, Munster, Coco & Ginger, Paper Wings, Gaia, Polka and mamapapa… they also carry a small but well edited selection of imports — Wovenplay, Pop Up Shop and Mini Rodini just to name a few — lovely hand-made one-off objects and a beautiful selection of books and toys. Definitely worth a visit if you are anywhere in the vicinity! And if not, Tiny People have a great website with worldwide shipping available. (more…)
FlexiBath, the smart solution baby bath!
Some of you may be so lucky to have a bathroom that fits a Rolls Royce (or two) easily, but ours is on the smaller side (read: tiny)… This is why I’m so happy with our FlexiBath — it can be folded completely flat! Genius. This bath is also great when you just have a shower, or (poor you) no bathroom at all, as it’s easy to set up this bath on the kitchen counter. Because it is a bit higher than your usual baby bath, it can be used for children up to 4 years of age. Available through VUPbaby.co.uk in six fun, bright colour combinations.
xxx Esther
Dabbawalla Bags & Packs
I first discovered these awesome Dabbawalla bags while my kids and I were visiting a friend over the summer. My son got the opportunity to go to his buddy’s camp for a couple days, but he needed a lunchbox, so we borrowed his friend’s Dabbawalla and I was instantly hooked. See, I have this issue with lunchboxes. I hate almost all of them. I buy them very frequently though, in hopes that the next will be “the one”. Alas, junk sticks in the corners even after rinsing, the metal ones rust, the cute soft lunchboxes get thrashed, and the worst are those that test positive for lead(!!). I’ve tried them all. The reason I so loved this Dabbawalla one was because it’s totally machine-washable, it has no corners for crumbs, it’s light enough for kids to tote around, and the design is simple and clean. And they’re made from an eco-friendly neoprene-like fabric that carries a certification which tests for over a hundred harmful substances. Perfect!
(Available in the UK from Peanut & Pip.)
-Kaela
Klean Kanteen at VUPbaby
At the beginning of the school term, my son’s teacher asked that all kids bring in a water bottle to keep in the classroom. I sent my husband to the sports store next to his office to pick up a non-plastic water bottle… and he came back with a large, clunky thing with a screw-on lid that took about ten minutes to open. I’m not sure this is what the teacher had in mind for quick water breaks. So I turned to VUPbaby who specialize in BPA-free, non-toxic drinking products. I ended up with a Klean Kanteen bottle which is perfect. It’s a lightweight, stainless steel bottle with an easy-to-use sport cap, and it comes in cool colours that kids love (we got the orange!). Klean Kanteen also makes bottles for grown-ups and sippy cups for babies.
-Courtney
Bugaboo Double Stroller
I don’t know what is in the water at the moment but loads of people I know are expecting not only one baby, but two. In fact, in one week I had two friends of mine call me with their happy news and both had two buns in the oven.
Well, Bugaboo seems as usual to have its finger on the pulse for this new twin trend and are launching in the Spring of next year the Bugaboo Donkey, their first double stroller. Perfect timing for all my friends. How it is exactly going to work, is not clear, but apparently you can easily convert it from a single to a double buggy and there will be loads of storage space… I have high hopes for this double buggy – hopefully the good people of Bugaboo won’t let me down!
- Emilie
First seen on Bambino Goodies.
Safety first — buggy reflective strips from Wagalum
Pretty scary thought, that now that I have put the Wagalum reflective strips onto Ava’s buggy, the risk of us having an accident is reduced by 85%. One wonders how it’s possible we’re still alive to start with!
No kidding, Wagalum reflective strips should be installed on every buggy on the planet. They ensure the buggy is noticed six times faster by other traffic, and seen from a distance as far as 150 meters instead of the usual 30 meters, which, in the end can make the difference between life or death. Wagalum strips are hardly noticeable during the day, but at night shine nine times brighter than comparable materials. And they cost next to nothing, especially if you compare it to the price of the actual buggy, which costs the same as a small car these days. No excuses, I would say.
For stockists, check the Wagalum website.
xxx Esther
WasteNot Sandwich Saks
With school now back in full swing (finally!), I must say I am quite happy to be back in the routine… and yet, on the flip side, I am not at all psyched about the part about making and packing the daily lunch. That being said, I recently stumbled upon this Etsy site the other day and thought it was such a great idea, especially for those, like me, who have relied on the plastic “baggie” for my sandwich and snack packing needs as I didn’t really know of an alternative.
The WasteNot Saks are not only stylish and easy to open but are lined with water and stain-resistant nylon. On the website it says “After using, you may simply shake out the crumbs, turn the bag inside-out and wipe the liner down, or if you have a particularly goopy PB&J that day just toss it in the washing machine and line dry.” The other plus — they come in a variety of very cute and kid-friendly fabrics making lunch-time at least pleasurable for someone!
-Dina
Shinzi Katoh Disney
My daughter finally got to go to Euro-Disney and had the best time ever. You see, we live in the Eastern part of Paris, and Disneyland is only 30 mins away from us. Many families in this area of Paris even have annual passes. Hilariously, when I asked her if she knew what Disneyland was, she shrugged her shoulders — all that she knew was that it was GREAT, whatever it was. So off she went, and of course she came back with the biggest pink princess obsession.
Now all my friends are going to cringe when they read this, as they think that I should just give into the kitsch and the pink, but I just cannot deal with the whole plastic, princess thing. I know I should, as my kids love it, but I am not yet at the point where I think that battery operated, twirling princesses on sticks are acceptable. So this is my alternative: Shinzi Katoh’s take on Mickey Mouse. Don’t you think they are lovely? He also has a series of Snow White designs.
I am not sure if my daughter is going to accept this as an alternative to her Disney princess obsession, but I can but try. After all… it is all in the name of design.
- Emilie
Patches by Linna Morata
As you might remember I am a big fan of patches. It seriously ticks me off to throw away a good pair of trousers just because the knee has worn through or to get rid of a new sweater because there is an ugly stain on it. I love the Linna Morata patches as they are stinking cute, original and give a second life to a old or damaged piece of clothing. They also stick really well and can be washed without any problems. It is also worth surfing the entire Linna Morata website — there are so many cute things… I especially like the “Mon Super Héros” designs for boys!
- Emilie
Back to school
It is so strange, we literally have just come back from our holidays and barely 24 hours later I am getting my girls ready to go back to school. The sandals are being put away and being replaced by sensible shoes, new autumn dresses are going to replace their shorts and little sun dresses. I am a little bit melancholic about it, but it is also the start of a new year full of exciting things. Also there are so many lovely back-to-school items…
I love this little school bag by the french label Miniseri — it is so simple and cute and the perfect back-to-school bag. In fact it is so cute I am trying to figure out if my laptop might fit into it… don’t you think it would make a great laptop bag? Though I am not sure my kids will be willing to share…
- Emilie
Little Nutty Helmets — for the coolest bikey in town
Nutcase is the maker of awesome helmets and their Little Nutty line caters the under five set. In Oz it is legal requirement to wear a helmet when riding a bicycle and given that so many are so cringe worthy (seriously lacking in the style stakes) these make me so very excited to hop on my bike once again. There is a cool design to suit every member of the family — in fact there are so many cool designs I seriously defy anyone, young or old, not to find one that suits their personality or acceptable to their sense of aesthetic. The Little Nutty range is particularly adorable and ‘dial-to-fit’ sizing makes getting the correct fit for this helmet simple – just turn the dial on the back of the helmet to make it fit your child’s head exactly, growing as the head grows. So cool. Enough said!
For stockists of Nutcase and Little Nutty in the USA and Canada, click here; for Europe click here and for Australia, click here. For everywhere else in the world, see here.
- Sara
Ubabub — a cot that is uber cool!
I can’t speak for elsewhere in the world but in Australia the nursery furniture market seems dominated with traditional slat style cots — with an occasional cool Scandinavian design thrown into the mix. Now, talented duo from Melbourne, Natasha and Daniel Dumais, have brought to the market some distinctly modern designs with their Ubabub range, creating a fantastic buzz in the process! One of the standout designs is the ‘pod’ (pictured). Talk about UBER cool! It is ultra modern and ultra sleek and quite different to anything out there that I have seen! (more…)
Sunshine Kids Car Seat
Last year I bought this amazing car seat from Sunshine Kids and what I love about it is that it is not a big clunker of a thing that takes up the whole back seat. In fact, it is one of the most narrow seats on the market. It also grows with your child and you can use it from birth up until you don’t need a car seat anymore. The kids can get in and out of it more easily than the other seats we’ve had and they don’t overheat in them (which was a major issue when they were little).
-Dina
Battlefield backpack from Chicken Rhythm
I got this cute backpack for my son at the Kleine Fabriek trade show. Isn’t it cool? I love the fact that it’s drum-shaped, and I love that cute image of the little rider on the horse. My son has been so much into fighting, and knights, and guns these days, without really knowing what he’s talking about… so it’s very appropriate for him! I have no clue where he gets the fighting obsession, but my husband tells me not to worry — it’s very normal for boys, apparently.
Anyway, the backpack is from Chicken Rhythm, and there are also some other prints available.
xxx Esther
Phoyo Playhouses
A playhouse that is portable, practically indestructible and NOT made of plastic! I’m so excited by this new discovery! Isn’t it great? New Zealand architect, Robin Hannah, set about constructing a nifty slot-together version for her kids way back in the ’70s and well … fast forward and she’s kindly decided to not only repeat the design for her lucky grandchildren, but also to make it available to us! The best part? The Phoyo is made made of sustainably grown pine so it’ll last more than one generation (which means technically I can classify this type of plaything as an ‘investment’ — should my plastic-loving husband question the viability of the new purchase!)
On a practical level, the Phoyo comes with a clear varnish or you can receive it bare sanded so that you and the kids can jazz it up with your own bespoke design. I must say though, I kind of like it au natural. Oh and one more thing — aside from the fantastic utility of being completely screw/nail free, the clever six piece set simply flat packs away when not needed. Perfect! For dogs too I would imagine…
- Sara
