Weekend Getaway: 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…)
Things to do with BOYS in Paris
I have been discovering lots of BOY friendly activities here in Paris — a far cry away from the usual shopping and coffee-drinking that you normally associate with this city. I reckon our Babyccino Boys Theme week is the perfect opportunity to share them with you…
The Argonaute at the Parc de la Villette: The Argonaute is a 1950’s submarine that was taken out of commission in the ’80s and is now moored in the Parc de la Villette, right beside the Cité des Sciences, Paris’ science museum. It is fascinating. The submarine has been kept exactly the way it was and you get a real feeling of what it was like to live and work in such a confined space. The motors are completely exposed and the audio tour (available in several different languages), describes the life on a submarine really well.
Dinosaur exhibition at the Grand Palais: All the boys I know are going wild about the Dinosaur exhibition at the Grand Palais. The exhibition is not too big to be overwhelming but it is a great way to get to know this species that fascinates so many boys. The animated models are VERY realistic, so small children might be slightly scared. Children discover how dinosaurs lived and ate and there is even a replica of a dinosaur poo (somehow poo never fails to get a rise out of the under-18 crowd).
Play area at the Parc de Belleville: This play area is our favourite place to go at the moment. It has been built specifically for city kids to get them to use their imagination and get to know their physical capabilities better. It is such an unsual structure that every kid interprets differently: for some it is a boat, for some a village, for some a jungle and for some just a great place to let go of some steam.
- Emilie
Parking Garage by Plan Toys
I actually bought this lovely little Parking Garage
-Dina
Estella stripey onesies for baby boys
Aren’t these stripey onesies just the cutest? I love all the different colours — the bold ones and the more muted ones. They’re just so perfect for the summertime when all your little one needs is a onesie. I also love the Estella t-shirts — so cute and so summery, and like the onesies they are extremely soft and have a really nice fit.
Estella is a cute children’s boutique located in NYC (Greenwich Village), but they also have a webshop and will ship worldwide. They carry loads of international brands as well as their own label — a collection of onesies, tees and leggings which are all made in the USA.
-Courtney
Big Boy Pop-Up Book
Pop-Up books today are not like the ones I grew up with, that’s for sure. Last year I picked up this Matthew Reinhart Star Wars pop-up book for one of my friend’s sons who happened to be obsessed with Star Wars and I was simply blown away by it. The book itself is packed with the most artistic, intense and downright amazing 3-D pop-ups I have ever seen! It’s the type of book that a child could sit with again and again as it also has a bunch of hidden flaps to explore and tons of information.
You should check out the Matthew Reinhart website to get a sense of what lurks inside and be sure to check out his full collection if pop-ups as they are all pretty incredible.
-Dina
Cool Click-Clack Cars for Boys
Not only are these Australian-made little cars produced in the most environmentally friendly way, they also challenge our little children’s young minds a bit more than your conventional cars. They come in three different parts, which are easily clicked together to become a race car, or a police car, or a garbage truck. There’s also a click-clack police station, hospital and fire station, to let the kids build there own little town — the best ingredients for hours of fun.
Through Mudd Kids.
xxx Esther
Wall Stickers for Boys
We’ve mentioned the Love Mae wall stickers before here on Babyccino Kids, but I don’t think we ever pointed out just how cute the boys designs are. My boys have the Dinosuars on their bedroom wall and they love them.
The Love Mae wall stickers are not vinyl like most wall stickers, but fabric, so they are extra special in design. They are also completely reusable, so you can remove them and re-stick them on your walls as often as you like and they won’t lose their stick (or damage your walls).
They’re available from the UK-based webshop, Quick Brown Fox of Dulwich, who specialise in bedding and other fabric products. And they ship worldwide for only £6.95.
-Courtney
Win! A Monster Bedset from Little Baby Company
My little boys are completely enthralled by monsters. They talk about them all the time… sea monsters, dragon monsters, bone-eating monsters, etc. It’s not that they’re scared of them, but more that they’re really interested in the idea of ‘monsters’. Must be a boy thing.
So, in celebration of boys and monsters, we’re giving away this Monster Bedset by Kideko from the kind people at Little Baby Company. We’re also giving away the matching drawstring bag, perfect for toy storage. What little boy wouldn’t be thrilled with that?!
Just leave a comment below by next Wednesday, June 30th, and we’ll pick one winner at random. Good luck!
P.S. Check out Little Baby Company for more cool toys, bedding, clothing and decor pieces.
P.P.S. Congrats to Shalene who won the Eva & Oli Maternity Bag!
Blabla — dolls for boys (and girls)
In the same line of thought of getting our daughter a train track for her second birthday, we recently got our 3-year-old boy his own doll. I mean, we don’t want to be forcing a love of trains or dolls on our children while they’re possibly equally inclined to play with the other, do we?
After some research I found him this adorable boy doll to play with. It came with a terrific set of cool looking clothes, so cute, and of great quality (I would dress my baby into them would they fit).
Both are from Blabla, a lovely company not yet very known in Europe, but hopefully not for long. Blabla has a wonderful selection of dolls in different shapes and sizes (all equally lovely), mobiles, clothes and blankets. All the products are hand knitted by Peruvian artisans and absolutely adorable in their design. Take for instance this guy Watson, how cool is he? Perfect for a little boy’s bedroom. Or these darling backpacks — my boy would LOVE that lion!!
xxx Esther
For the cool boys about town
It’s not always easy finding the right balance of ‘cool’ and ‘classic’ for my son. He has strong ideas about what he likes to wear, which still surprises and amuses me — he is only 4 after all! Apparently ‘grey’ is cool but anything neutral is ’so not cool Mum’. Enter Sudo, a hip Melbourne brand for girls and boys aged 2-12 that we both like. It is ‘cool’ enough for him — he likes to sport the rebel rocker vibe which I am not so partial to ( I am still not sold on skinny jeans for boys but Sudo’s rocker boy jeans, my son’s favorites, I can just about cope with). But also, much of the collection still retains a ‘classic’ enough look for me — lovely lightweight linen shorts and fine muslin shirts! Think ‘preppy’ with a rocker edge! Practical and durable too. One particular pair of unfortunate grey marle shorts has been subjected to multiple rounds of Napisan and survived. Completely intact. A big plus in my books.
Sudo is available at retailers throughout Australia and internationally at many online retailers — just click here.
- Sara
Books for Boys
Categorizing books by gender is really tricky business. I mean, who’s to say that girls won’t like books about trains or that boys only like books about diggers? We all know this is not the case.
My boys tend to like books about animals and sea creatures, but they’re happy to read anything (including the more ‘girlie’ books). This being said, I’ve just scanned the books on their bookshelf and many of their favourites feature a boy as the central character. Here is a list of our favourite ‘boy’ books:
1.)Iggy Peck, Architect
2.)Lost and Found
3.)When You Were Small
4.)The Giving Tree
5.)Tyrannosaurus Drip
6.)The Runaway Dinner
7.)The Story of Ferdinand by Munro Leaf
8.)Alfie and the Big Boys
9.)Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile
10.)Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day
11.)Who’s Driving?
12.)How to Catch a Star
13.)And the Train Goes…
14.)Go, Dog. Go! by P. D. Eastman
15.)Harry by the Sea
16.)The Happy Lion
17.)Mike Mulligan and his Steam Shovel
18.)Green Eggs and Ham
19.)Who’s Hiding?
20.)A Walk in New York
Do you have favourite ‘boy’ books? Please share!!!
-Courtney
Goki Racing Cars
The more I have researched for our boys theme week, the more I realize that there are some great boy toys out there, most of which I had never noticed! And so I have discovered the Goki range of toy racing and pedal cars. I simply love everything about these cars — their look, their design and their playing potential.
I can completely imagine children spending hours zooming around on one of these, as they are super easy to steer and push. It must be impossible not to feel like Lewis Hamilton on one of these.
Goki also make some great pedal cars; my absolute favourite is the fire truck, which comes with a ladder, a hose and a bell! The Goki cars are available from Madame la Marchande, a brilliant online toy shop.
- Emilie
Cute tees for BOYS!
Have you caught the J. Crew fever yet? I’m so in love! Up until recently, J. Crew was only an American novelty (I always stocked up when I went home). But now… even net-a-porter is stocking J. Crew women’s wear, and I am seeing it everywhere — each piece cuter than the next.
And the cuteness factor on their children’s wear is seriously sky-high. Check out these t-shirts for boys. Darling! I’m not usually one for logos, but of course I just cannot resist that happy camper tee — wish I had that for my boys while we were camping in Australia.
You can now buy J. Crew, as well as a whole host of other cute brands, at the recently launched Tada! Shop — a one-stop children’s shop for brands big and small. So many great products all in one shop — such a great idea.
-Courtney
Win! Play-Doh Fun Factory
If my son likes a gift, he takes it to bed with him. No matter how big, small, soft or hard it is, it must spend the night on his pillow. When he recently received the Play-Doh Fun Factory Spin ‘n Store set, he took it to bed for three nights in a row. Meaning, this was a particularly good gift!
I’m pretty sure this toy will be a hit with most little boys (and girls), as it has been proving itself to be very popular for the last 50 (!!) years. And to make it even better; the Fun Factory has recently been completely re-designed, making the squeezing, moulding and extruding even more fun.
If you would like to try your luck AND the new and improved Play Doh Fun Factory Spin ‘n Store, then please leave one comment below by Wednesday, June 23rd, as we’re giving away 5 Fun Factories to 5 lucky Babyccino Kids readers. Winners will be picked at random. Good luck!
xxx Esther
This give-away is now closed…
I Dreamt I was a Dinosaur
When I became a mom, I always knew I wanted to create a household centered around learning, and what better tool than a book? I have books for the kids to peruse in each room of the house for whenever they get the urge, and I’ve tried to supply them with a wide mix of books from basic picture books to classic story books to educational books.
Of course many of our children’s books are on every parent’s reading list — Shel Silverstein, Maurice Sendak, Mo Willems (who doesn’t love Knuffle Bunny?!), the Charlie and Lola books by Lauren Child, H.A. Rey’s Curious George, etc.
Recently I found some serious “boy” books that have interesting multi-media elements in their illustrations that I believe stimulate a different type of creativity in boys.
One of our favorites is I Dreamt I Was a Dinosaur
A week devoted entirely to BOYS!
While it wasn’t intentional, we have noticed that the past few months on Babyccino have been heavily girl-oriented — girlie shoes, dresses, dolls, prints, etc. — and we’ve received quite a few emails lately asking for more emphasis on the male gender. So, we’ve decided to make up for it and devote an entire week to boys!!!
This week we’ll be digging up some cool new boy products, our favourite books for boys, and other fun ideas. But before we launch into the new tips, we thought it was worth re-mentioning some of our favourite boy products already reviewed here on Babyccino Kids.
1.) The Bonz Construction Kits from Curious Toys (still one of my boys’ favourite toys).
2.) The cool gingham shirts from Bobinette (so Dutch, so cool).
3.) The robot dish set from La Chaise Longue.
4.) Cool shirts designed especially for boys from Two Blue Cars.
5.) The Rubbabu toy car — squishy and bouncy and perfect for littler boys.
6.) The TomTect construction set for little future architects.
7.) Babysusu — a darling clothing brand devoted entirely to boys.
8.) The PlanToys Wooden drum — for pleasant-sounding banging.
9.) The super cool Automoblox cars (collect all of them!).
10.) The entire Plan City set-up from PlanToys.
11.) The beautiful, wooden streamliner cars from Playsam.
12.) The wooden toys from top German toymaker Fagus.
Fresh Press, cool cards with bold backs
I recently got thank-you-cards printed at Fresh Press. They are of the Later Gator range, and they are very cool! Love the green alligator, and love the funky red/green back, which is very refreshing. All Fresh Press cards have the signature patterned back, which gives the cards that special distinction… I also had address labels printed, and some note-cards and calling cards. All from the same range, all very cool.
Together with my order, Fresh Press sent me a sample pack and these delightful birth announcements were part of it. I think they are just adorable. They’re printed on beautiful linen paper and have that classic yet contemporary look that I love. If you’re expecting a baby and are looking for the cutest birth announcement — you should surely consider these! Personalising your cards is extremely simple at the Fresh Press website, but if you still have questions the people behind Fresh Press are really super kind and attentive!
xxx Esther
Angel Dear Blankets
My little girl has an addiction — to a soft little blanket in the shape of a rabbit. Courtney actually got it for her when she was born and two years on, she is still addicted to it. I am not sure if it is the material, the shape or the size, but there is something about this little Angel Dear soft blanket rabbit that she absolutely loves. To be fair, in Paris, kids are encouraged to have a special soft toy or blanket (‘doudous’) to bring with them to nursery.
The problem with the Angel Dear blanket is that it is only available in the US and I am not the most organised person in the world — we are now on blanket number 7. I finally have two spare ones, courtesy of my lovely friend Petra who sent them all the way over from Miami.
The moral of the story is: Make sure your child gets addicted to a doudou that is easily available in your country, so you can replace it without too much trouble if it gets lost. If not, it is a huge pain. If you are, however, in the USA, do check out the Angel Dear collection. They are a lovely baby shower/birth present. They even have a two and a spare pack which I think is a genius idea.
- Emilie
Non-toxic baby teethers
I’ve already professed my love for Sophie the Giraffe — I think it is my all-time favourite baby toy because it’s easy for babies to hold, non-toxic to chew on, it squeaks when you squeeze it, and it’s cute. However, when my daughter was born she received the Gnon teether, handmade in France by the famous Sophie creators, and I must say it outdid Sophie in the popularity contest. I think it’s the cute, round eyes and that little handle to hold/chew on. And like Sophie, it also squeaks when you squeeze it.
Both teethers are available in the UK from VUP Baby, a fantastic webshop specializing in non-toxic baby products… from baby bottles and sippy cups to toys and accessories.
-Courtney
The Ergococoon
Are you one of those slightly neurotic mothers (I include myself here) who creep out of their beds to double check their partner’s baby-wrapping techniques or sometimes just lay awake in the middle of the night obsessing over whether the baby is properly wrapped — not too tight, not too loose, not too high, not too low? Then this one is especially good for you! As an alternative to the traditional swaddle, this Australian creation by Ergopouch is nothing short of genius. The ErgoCocoon is a simple contraption which certainly would have given me peace of mind in those early baby days.
Made of stretch organic cotton, the Ergococoon gives your baby the security of feeling snug, but without strapping your baby’s arms down the way that a traditional wrap does. So whilst the baby can’t get his/her arms out, they are still able to move their arms around if they wish — but they are still protected from the startle reflex. At the bottom of the wrap, there is an open end which allows you to transfer your baby into a car or pram and also allows access to the nappy area without having to unwrap your baby. And, with poppers in the arms, the Ergococoon readily converts into a sleeping bag for when the time is right! Practical and simple!
Available world-wide, for stockists please click here.
-Sara
