Playtime NYC
Lucky me. I just spent the past week in New York City with my husband and without our kids!! Such fun! (Seriously, NYC in the summertime is such a young, hip, sexy city… and it was so fun to spend a week with my husband pretending to be young, hip and sexy again!)
We were both there for a bit of work as well as play… and it just so happened that the Playtime NYC children’s trade show fell at the end of our stay. I attended the show on Saturday and I’m going to be bold here and say that it was the best trade show I’ve ever attended. Set in a cool venue in Soho, the intimate space and impressive selection of designers made for a lovely, lovely show. If you happen to be in NYC, today is the last day of the show and it’s definitely worth checking out!
x Courtney
p.s. I’ll be spending the next couple weeks filling you in on my favourite finds from Playtime so stay tuned…
Sweet William opens in Manhattan!
One of my very favorite children’s shops from Brooklyn recently opened in Nolita last month — dangerously close to where I live (uh oh). I have always admired Sweet William as it is a store that gets it just right. The space is adorable and the clothes are incredibly well edited, wearable and unique. I assure you, you will want it all. I am especially drawn to the store as a great source for newborn gifts — the teeny tiny outfits from the likes of Ketiketa and Tuss are criminal they are so cute.
-Dina
ONE YEAR AGO WE WROTE ABOUT:
• Babyccino birthday — Personalised gift tags• Babyccino Birthday — Djeco Stacking Game
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!!
New York City — a new Babyccino Kids city guide!
In addition to our brand new design and look, we have more exciting Babyccino Kids news. We’ve launched our NYC City Guide!! Dina has been working diligently for the past 6 months to cover off all of NYC’s best kid-friendly places to eat, see, play, shop, etc., and it is finally ready to share with you. Like all of our city guides, it will be updated regularly with new reviews and other kid-friendly ideas. So, if you’re planning a trip to NYC (or know someone who is), make sure to check out all of Dina’s suggestions.
P.S. Check out all of the new city designs. The girls at Petite Alma did such an amazing job capturing each city’s look and feel. We’ve also added some handy new features which will help make your visit even easier. We are so excited about them we can hardly sit still!
P.P.S. As always, we welcome your feedback.
Date Weekend — Mayflower Inn and Spa
Since having my girls, my husband and I have only taken 3 short weekend trips away from home. Six nights. Four years. Exactly six times where I have slept past 7:30 in the morning. Now before you call me a loser… just wait… it gets even worse. Those six nights were all spent at the exact same place. A place which is less than a two-hour drive from our house!
But look — it’s not that we are afraid to leave our children with the grandparents for a few days – it’s just that we really love going here and honestly, when it comes right down to it… vacation for us at this juncture in our lives means sleeping past 7am, eating well, taking a bath without someone banging on the door, and long stretches of quiet. (more…)
Metrotwin
I was recently approached by Metrotwin to do a guest-list for them of my favourite places in London with kids. I said “hey! I can do one better than that — I can ask our fabulous Babyccino NY contributor (Dina to you and me) to do a NY list too”. They were very excited.
You see Metrotwin is a site powered by British Airways to offer reviews of all the best things to do in the London and NYC. It is a fabulous resource if you happen to be travelling to or even if you live in either of the cities.
You can check out the Babyccino Kids London Address Book here and the NY address book here.
Enjoy! Mo.x
KISAN Concept Store
KISAN Concept Store is a nifty little place, just off the beaten path in Soho. The store is a collective of all things stylish and beautifully made offering nearly everything from interesting coffee table books and gadgets — to chic clothing/shoes — to handbags and jewelery — to stunning, mouth-agape children’s clothing. The owners literally comb the world over to find the lines they carry and it is the kind of stuff you won’t see anywhere else and can’t get anywhere else. The back of the store is wholly dedicated to higher-end children’s clothing as well as a small selection of internationally themed toys and books. They happen to carry one of my favorite European brands, Caramel Baby and Child (and ps: they just started selling on-line and will ship to the US).
I ain’t gonna lie – this is Soho and it ain’t cheap, but everything in this store is really special and it is a fabulous place to pick up unique gifts. If you are in need of a special outfit for a young boy or girl this is a great place to look.
-Dina
Kulinary Kids NYC– The Playdate of Champions
Ahhhhh……now this is the kind of extra-curricular activity that suits my lifestyle.
1) Small group of kids in a comfortable, non-chaotic setting. Check.
2) Easy commute (my apartment builiding). Check.
3) Healthy dinner included (and eaten! and provided by someone other than me!). Check.
For the past few months, thanks to Kulinary Kids NYC, we have found an after school experience that we all love!!! A few families in the neighborhood came together to do this amazing drop-off cooking class that meets once a week in one of our apartments. From 4-5pm, the kids put on adorable little aprons and work together to whip up something healthy and delicious to eat. (more…)
Obaibi
My childhood friend — who fled NYC long ago to live in Paris — sends us the cutest, chicest outfits every year for the girls’ birthday. I am always excited when the package arrives but always find myself equally bummed out that I can never find the brand here! Well last week I learned that Obaibi had quietly opened a store on the upper east side, and so I made the trek the other day and practically bought the entire place out.
What I love about the clothes is not only the beautiful muted color palate but the hipper-than-hip French styling. In addition to a bunch of great sweaters and dresses, I picked up a pair of cargo capris with a flowy top and a printed cotton wrap scarf. The cuteness factor was off the charts! Obaibi carries items from birth-5yrs and I am hoping that they soon open a store with the line for older kids (Okaidi). I would say to all New York moms that it is worth the trip – the clothes are adorable, beautifully made and priced WELL WELL WELL below what you would find elsewhere. Dress like a little French girl at Old Navy pricing. Viva la France!
-Dina
Williamsburg
Williamsburg is seriously as cool as it gets. In fact, I used to joke with a friend of mine that they should just plaster a picture of either Beck or Moby on the front of all the Subway cars to identify that the “L” train to Brooklyn was for hipster transport only.
I guess now, with time being what it is, those young men and women with the complicated haircuts and ironic t-shirts are getting older and having kids of their own. And thank goodness they are because the children’s stores there are really just so darn cool!!!! If you have not been, you must go. Make a day of it as there are so many amazing shops and little places to eat.
Mini Jake – is kind of like the Brooklyn version of the popular Giggle chain. It’s a huge space filled with all things modern and cool — strollers, cribs, bedding, feeding stuff… you name it. In a nutshell, it is a modern parents dream as it is chock full of all those eco-fashionable brands that they go gaga for (Oeuf, Stokke, Bloom etc;). The store also has a huge selection toys (think Plan Toys and Playmobil) and a book nook with all the classics.
Sweet William – an absolutely gorgeous store carrying brands that I simply can’t find anywhere else. I am obsessed with under the radar brands like Makie and Talc and they carry both. The well edited selection caters mainly to the younger set — newborn to 5 yrs and has the type of stuff that you will hold on to for years just because it’s all too beautiful to part with. A perfect place for gifts for a newborn. (more…)
Resolution 2 of 999,999. Soul Cycle.
Soul Cycle just opened an amazing new space in Tribeca and while I totally TOTALLY dread working out I decided to just suck it up and force myself to go. After all, as mentioned before, the only cardio routine I have these days is courtesy of the Dancey Dance segments from Yo Gabba Gabba.
So anyway– Soul Cycle has had a following for quite some time in other areas of the city and I was nervous as hell to go. I had never done a “spin class” before and I was pretty confident that I was going to die on the bike and make a total scene. As I stood in the lobby waiting for class to start I tried my best to look like a pro but when I saw the sweat drenched people emerge from the prior class I started to panic. (more…)
Kidding Around Toys
While I would really love for my kids to play with handcrafted, eco-friendly and artistically stunning toys, I also know full well that I might as well just set a pile of money on fire. The beautiful wooden farm house with hand painted animals is coated in a layer of dust. The hand-sewn finger puppet theater has yet to be touched by a human hand. That being said, I don’t want a house full of flashing plastic junk but I do like to find items that my kids will actually play with.
Kidding Around is a toy store in Chelsea that I really love as it does a great job stocking toys which are both parent savvy and ones that your kids will love. The website is in dire need of a makeover but if you visit the store in person you will be extremely pleased with what you find inside. Not only is it huge but it has everything that a child could want from birth through the teen years — all of which is thoughtfully edited and categorized. It is my go-to place for amazing birthday gifts and I always stumble upon something new when I go.
I have my sights set on this little red accordian to buy as a gift for someone who bought my girls two recorders last month. Payback time!
-Dina
Art, food and a place to sit.
I do love New York but there are also a lot of things that I really hate about it.… the lack of parks and open spaces, and the complete absence of places to just sit down. The other day I took my girls to the New Museum on the Bowery. I have been wanting to go since it opened and there was an exhibition by Urs Fisher which looked bizarre and cool. There was, after all, a croissant hanging from the ceiling on fishing wire with a butterfly on it! Anyway– the exhibition was indeed cool but the best discovery of the day was the little cafeteria with tables and chairs that they had in the back of the main lobby. It’s a nice place to sit (for free!) and shockingly, it was very kid friendly – they even serve peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. So for those roaming around Soho or the East Village with a stroller looking for a place to just sit for a few minutes — stop in. Admission is free for everyone under 18.
-Dina
A non-frumpy nine months
Seems like everyone I know is having a baby all of a sudden. Funny how it always happens in waves.
With “three being the new two” and “twins being the new singleton” in NYC, the maternity business is booming! When I was pregnant I was determined to remain somewhat stylish (well with the roots growing in and the adult onset acne, the least I could do was wear a semi-decent outfit.) One of my very favorite brands to discover along the way was Nom de Naissance, which is based out of LA and is carried at my very favorite maternity store in NYC, Belly Dance Maternity. This adorable West Village shop carries a well edited selection of labels like Splendid, Diane Von Furstenburg and Ripe with the premise being that you can still dress like you did before you got prego. Two other amazing stores that I discovered along the way were Cappucine in Tribeca which does not have an on-line website but is definitely worth the visit. The owner carries both maternity wear and adorable regular clothes in larger sizes (and the owner is French so you know it’s cool). The other place that I found was Bump in Brooklyn which opened after I had the girls but it looks ultra, ultra swank. For the gals that are not into “Pea in a Pod” and “Liz Lange” – these stores are for you.
-Dina
Pomme baby blankets
I always like to find special gifts that are useful and practical for friends with a new baby. In a cramped NYC apartment the last thing you need is more stuff, especially if you are on kid number 2 or 3, which is why I love these adorable little square quilts from Pomme. They are small, plush, easy to wash and cheery.
Pomme is an adorable little store in the Dumbo section of Brooklyn that carries a well-edited and unique array of items for young children. You can call the store direct to get matching pillows or if you are feeling particularly fashionable there are booties to match!
-Dina
Doodle Doo’s
This adorable little West Village shop is a perfect place to go for kid’s haircuts – especially the very first one when most kids have the potential to totally flip out. Courtney wrote a post some time ago about a place called Tantrum which we visited during our stay in London and absolutely loved! Doodle Doo’s is its New York equivalent. The staff is beyond nice and when we went last week my daughters left not only with adorable new chic hairdos but also with a barrette, some sparkle hairspray and a lollipop. The premise is simple… place kid in car or boat seat… insert princess video… bribe with future delivery of treat… snip away. It just makes the whole experience a win win. They also have a wonderful selection of toys and children’s clothing for parents to browse while you wait and if you are up for it, it’s a block away from New York’s famed Magnolia Bakery.
-Dina
Screech Owl Designs
My name is Dina, I live in New York and I am a Moomah-holic.
When I was in the other day I finally asked who did the graphics for the place as I love everything on the walls. The owner, who is the mom of two young children in the neighborhood, has clearly thought of every little detail of the environment down to the take-away coffee cups (which are almost too beautiful to toss.) I always go there to buy little note cards and I was so excited to see that the designer of all the amazing stuff in Moomah has a website. Screech Owl Designs has beautiful prints, t-shirts and stationery. I especially love their note cards – I think it would even be nice to frame a few and hang on the wall, and I am planning to get some as birthday invitations this year.
-Dina
Physique 57 — the workout that actually works
I wish it wasn’t the case but I don’t like to work out. I loathe the gym. The few times I dabbled in Yoga and Pilates I would be all gung-ho for a few months only to eventually find myself watching the clock like a hawk the entire time (is it over now?….now? …what about now?….)
Last winter however, I started taking classes at Physique 57 and everything changed.
Physique 57 has a major cult following in New York. In a nutshell, it’s 57 minutes of upbeat music and fluid, muscle crunching movements that hone in on all the key areas. Based on the famous Lotte Berk method, P57 classes focus on core strength and flexibility and the classes are taught by adorable professional dancers who really motivate you to keep going even when your insides are screaming. What I love about it is that it is comprised of short routines – every five minutes or so you work on a different part of the body. And before you know it, the class is over — yay! (more…)
Pop Burger
As mentioned in an earlier post, I am not a huge fan of eating out with young kids. It’s not good for the digestion. But then again, there is Pop Burger.
This unassuming and very hip burger joint in the trendy Meatpacking district is actually one of my favorite super duper secret places to grab a special lunch with the girls. The burgers are delicious, and they come in sets of two which are perfect for teeny hands. They also have a nice selection of healthier items like a salad or an excellent chicken burger which pair nicely with a thick classic milkshake and crispy fries. (more…)
Chelsea Market
I really try to avoid taking my twins out to eat. It is nothing short of torture for me. Seriously….it’s like the minute they see that dilapidated cup of crayons and sad coloring placemat coming at them they start to make a scene. Chelsea Market, on the other hand, is now a destination of mine to eat with the girls on sunny days with the stroller in tow. I can only describe it as an underground culinary fantasy land and one where I am at complete ease dining with two three-year-olds. There’s a huge selection of delicious gourmet places to eat – all in a cool and low key setting. Kids can choose from homeade soup, sandwhiches and pasta and then watch fresh bread being baked, visit a fish market and toss coins into an indoor waterfall. Even better are the places to grab dessert – Eleni’s cookies, Sarabeths and Fat Witch Brownies. On the weekends they oftentimes have musical performances for kids so check the schedule and make a morning of it. And while the weather is still nice grab a coffee and check out the new and ultra-swank Highline where you can sit and watch a parade of New York’s hipsters saunter by.
-Dina
