KidStyleFile

Today’s post written by Leah

……………………………………………………………………………………………………

You’re making a list, you’re checking it twice, The Toy Bug – www.thetoybug.com.au – can
fill it alright!! This top toy site stocks a rich assortment of toys that will tantalise all your little ones senses. There are items to touch, items to smell, items to chew on and items to see. With such an engaging medley of products, your only problem will be which ones to choose.

Jo, proprietor of The Toy Bug, has a passion for toys. When her son, Lachie, was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), she spent countless hours searching for toys that would maintain his attention and assist with his development. Rather than keep these delights to herself, she created The Toy Bug to share them with others and make it easier to find good quality toys. You can even click here to see Lachie’s favourites!

I’m in love with the Fairy Tea Set for my little fairy princess. She loves pretend play, and I am certain this gorgeous wooden toy will occupy her for hours. I can already imagine her teddies all set out in a circle ready for a fashionable high tea, hosted by Princess N.

My son is just starting to explore his finger dexterity so the Balancing Donkey Game will assist in his quest to master this new skill. Manipulating the sticks to ensure they don’t unbalance the donkey and to raise it as high as you can will certainly become a family game favourite.

So are you ticking off items from your list? Can’t decide which ones to buy? Better not pout, I’m telling you why – Jo has knocked 10% off ALL items store-wide until 31 October 2009, just use ‘KSF10′ as your code at checkout. There’s also a fantastic layby option available, so you could just get the lot!

1. Le Toy Van – Fairy Tea Set $75.00 $70.00 less 10% = $63.00
2. Hickory Dickory Clock $49.99 less 10% = $44.99
3. GUND – Gazoo the Giraffe $35.00 $30.00 less 10% = $27.00
4. K’s Kids – Julia Needs A Bath $19.95 less 10% = $17.95
5. Little Tikes 3D Farm Memory Game $28.50 less 10% = $25.65
6. Alex Squeezy Squeakies $20.99 less 10% = $18.90
7. Le Toy Van – My Teapot Café $85.00 $75.00 less 10% = $67.50
8. Farm Stacking Blocks $26.00 less 10% = $23.40
9. Birthday Music Box – Pink $28.00 $24.00 less 10% = $21.60
10. Balancing Donkey Game $14.95 less 10% = $13.45

The Toy Bug stock quality brands including Active People, Anamalz, Boyle, Crocodile Creek, Djeco, EDDU Toy, Fat Brain Toy Co, Fiesta Crafts, GUND, Le Toy Van, JELLYCAT, Mamas & Papas, Manhattan Toy Company, Melissa & Doug, Petit Jour Paris, Sparkle T, Spiegelburg, TOLO, Toys Pure, Voila, WANJU and Wonderworld.

The Toy Bug charge $9.90 flat Australia-wide (with 3 product exceptions) and post for FREE Australia wide for all orders over $150.00.  Read the full shipping and delivery information here, including details on international orders.

Today’s post written by Miki

……………………………………………………………………………………………………

Without a doubt, Mel at The Hip Infant – www.thehipinfant.com.au – has one of the best eyes around when it comes to choosing new stock.  Her store’s motto (‘If you can’t find it, it’s not hip enough for us to stock’) certainly rings true when you look through the vast array of stylish, beautiful and… well, hip products!

Take Ella & Otto, for example.  One of my very favourite interiors brands from the UK, they’ve recently branched out into organic babywear and Mel is now stocking their adorable babygrow with the matching accessories.  The striking stripe/print combination and modern monochrome colourway makes this outfit a very hip addition to any baby’s wardrobe – not to mention the cute antler hat!

And then there are the fantastic new Skidders!  Seriously hip, these funky little sock-shoes are perfect for new walkers, and even for older toddlers and kids to wear on tiled or wooden floors. They come in a great range of patterns for boys and girls, and look incredibly comfy.

TheMae fabric wall stickers are a truly stunning range, and Mae is getting all festive coming up to Christmas with a new Christmas Tree wall sticker. These are fantastic, because not only are they a super stylish decoration for your walls, but you can pull them down and put them up again year after year without it damaging the wall surface.

I’m also ever so pleased to see the latest Limited Edition Trunki to arrive in Australia in stock.  Harley the Ladybug is the latest Trunki to hit our shores, and seriously people, how hip is he?!  Kids all over the world love Trunki – my son and Angela’s daughters are among the Trunki fans – for their fantastically practical, fun design.  Who wouldn’t love a ride-on wheeled suitcase that can be taken onto planes as hand luggage and entertains kids of all ages during long waits in airports?!

To celebrate the bevvy of new stock just in at THI, proprietor Mel is offering FREE SHIPPING Australia-wide on all orders over $65 until the 31 October 2009. Just enter the code ‘KSF-HAPPY’ to redeem.

1. Ella & Otto Organic Baby Grow, $36.95; and matching hat, $21.95
2. Trunki Limited Edition Harley The Ladybug, $89.95
3. Pirate Pete’s Potty, $14.95
4. Skidders Shoe Socks – Rockets, $32.95
5. Usborne ‘That’s Not My Fairy’ Touchy-Feely Board Book, $14.99
6. No3No4 Sock Doll – Zebra Multi Stripe, $44.95
7. Hip Stuff Family Doll Puzzle Set, $24.95
8. Tiger Tribe Magnetic Play Book – Transport, $19.95
9. Tiger Tribe Drawstring Bag – Owl In Tree, $19.95
10. Love Mae Fabric Wall Stickers – Christmas Tree, $39.95

For the hippest infant products around, The Hip Infant stocks from the following list of brands: Aden + Anais, Alimrose Designs, Alex Toys, Alphasketti, Annabel Trends, Babylicious, Baby Einstein,Baby Legs,  Bbox, Belly Art, Billie Goat Soap, Blabla, Blik Wall Graphics, Bluebird and Honey, Brio, Bobble Art, BUD, Candela, Cheeky Monkey, Chilli Kids,  Coco & Eli, Crocodile Creek, Cuddlefish, David Fussenegger, Dwell Studio, Elegant Baby, Evetribe, Fiesta Crafts, Flensted Mobiles, Fleurville, Foogo By Thermos, For Walls, French Bull, Funtainer By Thermos, Gertie and Me, Giddy Giddy, Gijmmo, Goki, Green To Grow, Haba, Heimess, Hip Stuff, Honey Sticks Love Mae, ID Tee, Infancy, ITZBEEN, Janod, JellyCats, Jewel Queen, Kathe Kruse, Keptin Jr, Kiddopotamus, Kristy Clayton Art, Lima Bean, Little Einsteins, MELOBABY, Milestone Press, Milk & Co Baby, Minimonkey, Oeuf NYC, Oricom Baby Monitors, Olli & Pop, Ouch, Plum Baby, Present Time, Printspace. Pure Baby, Qubies, Rockabye Baby, Rondeau Industries, Sambellina, Sigikid, Simple Gorgeous Storage, Skip HOP, Snugglebum, Sparkle T, Teeny Me, The Hip Infant, The Hip Infant Limited Edition Basics, Tip Top Joey, Tippy Toes, Tiger Tribe, Tommee Tippee, Toys Pure, Trunki, Wall Candy Arts, Wee Gallery.

The Hip Infant charges a flat rate of $8.50 for Australia-wide shipping. For all details please see the delivery page. International orders are warmly welcomed: head to International Orders page for full info.

Today’s post written by Edwina

……………………………………………………………………………………………………

The end of October is only one week away and that means for many parents it is time for Halloween!

Halloween is celebrated every October 31 to various degrees around the world and has its roots in the old Gaelic festival of Samhain. Traditionally, Halloween was a celebration the coming of the darker months of the year and the storing of the harvest for winter. It also was a time to both honour the spirits of your ancestors and ward-off any harmful spirits that might be lurking.

Symbolically the wearing of scary costumes helped you hide from the harmful ghoulies, I guess by blending in? The other traditions of Halloween similarly relate back to these beginnings and commonly include Pumpkins, Jack-o-lanterns, Haunted Houses, Trick or Treating, Candy Apples and plainly a lot of candy!

In the USA Halloween is celebrated with a great deal of joy and symbolises the beginning of the holiday season (with Thanksgiving and Christmas on the horizon),  but mostly Halloween is a children’s paradise of dress-ups, silly tricks and neighbourhood walks for treats.

Whilst the tradition is not as strong in Australia it seems there are increasingly more invitations to Halloween themed parties and for occasions when pretending you are a ghost or a queen or a pumpkin or a bee is required.

So we thought we might honour Halloween this year with some costume fun that you can make, buy or diy. Also, If you are having your own Halloween party, then head over to Martha Stewarts Halloween Central for all her fabulous tips for food, decorations and costumes.

Image Links (Left to Right)

Spring Chicken, Goldfish, Lady Bug Tutu from Martha Stewart $US23.50, Owl Costume, Pumpkin Costume from Etsy $88.95, Pea in a Pod from Etsy $US88.95, Pumpkin Gravestone, Jack-o-Lanterns from Etsy and Martha Stewart $24.95, Pumpkin Projects, Glamour Girls, Coffee Filter Godmother, Honey Bee Hairstyle, Giraffe Helmet from Martha Stewart and Etsy $US28, Cowboy, Jedi Robe from Martha Stewart and Etsy $US19.99

PS: What do birds give out on Halloween night?  Answer: Tweets!

Today’s post written by Anna

……………………………………………………………………………………………………

Hooray! Hooray for an itch that just has to be scratched…it’s Itch Week at Little Pinwheel – www.littlepinwheel.com.au!

In celebration of ultra hip Aussie label, Itch Design, Little Pinwheel is offering the entire summer collection at 20% off until 30 October 2009. Enter code ‘itchweek’ to redeem. (Note that this code will also work store-wide – woot!)

Also, if you spend $200+ at Little Pinwheel and have at least one Itch Design product in your order you will receive a FREE Itch Design t-shirt! Thanks, Hayley!

All Itch Design orders placed during Itch Week will be shipped on the 1st and 2nd November, beautifully gift wrapped and ready for Christmas.

Also on now is the super duper Itch Design Competition. Jodi from Itch Design is looking for two new characters to join the Itch team for the Summer ’10/’11 season, and she is giving all of our little people the opportunity to be the designer

It’s time to set your little ones up with pencils, textas, chalk, paint or any other medium of their choosing – and let their little imagination run wild!  The only catch is their must be no “grown up” help! Encourage them to be creative, imaginative cool and unique…I just can’t wait to see the characters Jodi selects as the winners to be on the next year’s summer Itch t-shirts. For entry forms, contact Jodi at Itch or Hayley at Little Pinwheel.

Check out my top picks from Itch below (including Hayley’s gorgeous little son Taj in his Itch birthday outfit – sooo cute!) and get scratching!

Prices quoted in red below are only for the duration of Itch Week and revert to normal at midnight 30 October 2009.

1. Itch Design Robot Tie Tee – Baby $34.95 less 20% = $27.95
2. Itch Design Waves Shorts- Baby $43.95 less 20% = $35.15
3. Itch Design Patchwork Elephant Onesie $34.95 less 20% = $27.95
4. Itch Design Lots O Shoes Tee $34.95 less 20% = $27.95
5. Itch Design Poodle Doodle Onesie $34.95 less 20% = $27.95
6. Itch Design Pacman Shorts $29.95 less 20% = $23.95
7. Itch Design Make A Note Tee – Lemon $34.95 less 20% = $27.95
8. Itch Design Mask Tee – White $34.95 less 20% = $27.95

At Little Pinwheel, you can find fashion for babies, boys and girls from labels: Polka, mill&mia, Nature Baby, Sudo, Three Little Trees, Tiny Mammoth, Itch Design, Dan300, Lark Design , Nature Baby, Sevi Toys, monte&tex, Heavenly Creatures, Chalk n Cheese, Cocoon Couture, Nellystella, Rittenhouse Kids and L’il Ludy.

Little Pinwheel charge $7.50 flat-rate Australia wide. Orders over $150.00 are shipped free, Australia-wide. International orders are welcome. Please see the Little Pinwheel Delivery page for full information on postage and delivery.

Today’s post written by Leah

……………………………………………………………………………………………………

1 little, 2 little, 3, little Indians! For the past 2 ½ years since it opened, I have routinely visited the Ten Little Indians – www.tenlittleindians.com.au – site for my regular weekly browse through their mammoth fusion of girls and boys fashion, accessories, play items, party things and room décor, and each time I have found myself unwittingly humming along to this nursery rhyme.

This week I am drooling over the great range new spring/summer stock from brands which include Big by Fiona (the one thing that makes me want the next year to fly by so DD can finally wear this dress range that start at size 2 -yes!) Oobi, Munster, Littlehorn, minti, Cried Wolf, Purebaby, Coco & Ginger, Bebe by Minihaha, Itch, Chook Leaf Shoes, Cocoon Clothing, Little Leona, Bobbleart, Tiger Tribe, Alimrose and soooooo many more.

I admit it, I often find myself stalking the social pages for images of Suri Cruise in her latest outfit: the girl has style and flair. Recently in Melbourne, Katie Holmes purchased 2 dresses and pants from the up and coming Tiddles and Chich label (which answers my current issue of what to dress DD in at an upcoming christening…)

You will also find the gorgeous Sophie the Giraffe from Vulli, who has surged in popularity amongst celebrities. Born in France back in 1961, Sophie is the only teething toy in the world made out of 100% natural rubber and is the perfect companion as she can’t be swallowed.

So with your shopping cart all loaded up, Ten Little Indians are rewarding you with 10% off storewide, including sale stock up to 50% off from luminous brands including Munster, Moppit and Big by Fiona: this means up to 60% off for you!!! Pop in ‘KIDSTYLE’ at the discount code section at checkout to redeem this offer until 31 October 2009.

10 Little Indians are also treating one lucky newsletter subscriber to a $1,000 shopping spree with them, with a $200 spree for the lucky runner up. For a chance to win simply spend $50 at 10 Little Indians before 31 October 2009 to automatically go into the draw. Easy peasy!

Discounted prices quoted below are applicable with code (see above) until 25 October 2009.

1. Tiddles & Chich Red Bow Jersey Dress (as worn by Suri Cruise) – $49.95 Less 10% = $44.95
2. LittleHorn Bunny Ringer Tee – $39.95 Less 10% = $35.95
3. Sophie the Giraffe Celebrity Teether by Vulli – $34.00 Less 10% = $30.60
4. Minti Acid Bomb Shorts – $54.95 Less 10% = $49.45
5. Dumpling Dynasty Happy Hour Kit – $29.95 Less 10% = $26.95
6. Oobi April Red Skirt – $39.95 Less 10% = $35.95
7. Tiger Tribe Stampers – $11.95 Less 10% = $10.75
8. Cocoon Couture Sasha Dress – $45.95 Less 10% = $41.35
9. Rush Room Letters – $4.50 Less 10% = $4.05
10. Coco & Ginger Kitty Bikini – $29.95 Less 10% = $26.95

At Ten Little Indians delivery is super fast and efficient and cheap  $7.50 flat rate EXPRESS POST shipping and postage is free if you spend over $150.  International shipping daily at competitive prices.  Free gift wrapping service.

Today’s post written by Angela

……………………………………………………………………………………………………

The Alannah and Madeline Foundation, formed in the wake of the Port Arthur tragedy to help protect children from violence, and to support them when it occurs, has just announced a beautiful initiative that will warm your heart: Children365.

Children365 marks the start of a year of activity for the Foundation which is designed to give people practical ways they can engage positively with their children.

The core of Children365 is 365Statements, which allows all adults to record and submit their promises and declarations about their children for the year ahead. It’s a simple concept and easy to participate in: click here to submit your answers to the following statements:

3 reasons I love my children

6 ways they make me smile

5 things we will do together this year

It’s so easy to get bogged down in the day to day and forget about the big picture: I’m going to do this and put my statements on the fridge as a constant reminder of my priorities.

To show their support for Children365 celebrities and high profile Australian are releasing their own 365 statements about their children. You can read celebrity Children365 statements here.

Children365 will officially be launched on Sunday 1 November 2009 at the Melbourne Museum with a family fun day event.

You can collect a free admission voucher from the Sunday Herald Sun on 1 November 2009 to receive free entry to the event. Activities on the day will include kite and puppet making workshops, children’s book author appearances, physical activities, sports and games, arts and crafts and more. A full program for this event will be available online shortly.

The Alannah and Madeline Foundation are also releasing a 12-month calendar to inspire people with ideas for great ways to spend time with the children in their lives. Each month will have a theme around activities families can enjoy with their children. The calendar will be available on 10 November in the Herald Sun, through National Pharmacies in Victoria, or contact The Alannah and Madeline Foundation to request a copy.

On a different note the Alannah and Madeline Foundation will be hosting their Gala Ball, Starry Starry Night, next month. The event will see VIPs from all industries attend to raise funds for this exceptional charity. next month. Items over $200 are being sought for the event’s silent auction. KidStyleFile has donated a $300 shopping spree for the auction. If you would like to donate an item for auction too please contact Merryn at The Alannah and Madeline Foundation to express your interest and to find out more.