KidStyleFile

Today’s post written by Miki

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For quite some time now – in fact, ever since my oldest child took his first steps – I’ve had a bit of a thing for good quality children’s shoes.  There’s something about seeing sweet little shoes that just makes me smile.

Luckily for me, Gumnut Kid – www.gumnutkid.com.au – is a veritable treasure cave full of beautiful shoes for little people. Brands include Red Bootie from Melbourne, baby shoes and pre-walkers from Little Squeaky Shoes and the warmest baby uggs from Emu Australia Uggs.

What’s absolutely perfect, just in time for the summer holidays, is that all summer sandals (defined as open toe shoes) have been marked down by a huge $25 per pair! There are great options for boys and girls in there, so grab some to get your kids through the hot weather in style. Prices are marked on the site, and the discounts are valid until 31 December 2009, while stocks last. There are also loads of other little shoes with decent discounts on them, with up to 40% off many great styles!  Just browse through each of the categories (girls, boys and toddlers) to find the specials. There is also a Christmas special on toddler shoes: buy any pair of Red Bootie Shoes, and get 50% off a pair of Little Squeaky Shoes!

All shoes at Gumnut Kid fit the bill in terms of looks, and they are also made to last and made to fit delicate growing feet. I love the canvas Mary Janes, which come in an array of bright and beautiful colours, and look perfect with any outfit you can conceive of.  They’re leather lined making them super comfy, and close with a velcro strap.  The toes are non-scuff too, which means they won’t leave horrible marks all over your floors (or, if your kids are anything like mine, on your walls!).

Gumnut Kid also carries a lovely selection of accessories including bucket hats (perfect for this time of year), adorable hair accessories, and a divine range of organic body and bath products for mums and babes. Enjoy!

1. Mali – White, $69.00 $44.00
2. Scotty Hair Clip, $9.95; Ribbon Bow Set, $9.95
3. Sheila Canvas Mary Jane – Purple, $49.00
4. Lola Sandal, $65.00 $40.00
5. Anais Canvas Mary Jane – Red, $55.00
6. Ashley Nubuck Leather Boys Shoe – Green, $59.00
7. Mats Boys Leather Sandal – Navy, $69.00 $44.00
8. Charcoal Bucket Hat, $34.95 $29.95; Eloise Bucket Hat, $34.95 $29.95
9. Jessica Girls Summer Sandal – Beige, $69.00 $44.00
10. Mats Boys Summer Sandal – Red, $69.00 $44.00

Gumnut Kids uses Australia Post for all deliveries with costs calculated at checkout. International orders happily shipped; details arranged at time of order.

Today’s post written by Miki

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I know I’m not the only one with a fussy toddler to feed.  Just about all parents have to deal with fussy eaters at some point, which can be a challenge when we’re also trying to feed the kids healthy, nutritious meals.  It’s quite a battle to get vegetables into a child who only wants to eat vegemite out of the jar!  (Yes, believe it or not, that’s my elder son’s current food fetish. Bleurgh.)

With life being so busy in the lead-up to Christmas, what we all need are some easy wins on the food front (there’s just no time to do battle!). I’m sure you’ll all be as delighted as I was by the website of children’s food guru Annabel Karmel – www.annabelkarmel.com.

The site is beautifully laid out and absolutely packed full of fantastic and FREE recipes, which are helpfully divided into categories from 6-9 months right up to family meals.  There’s loads for toddlers (even fussy ones like mine), and for older kids, along with breakfasts, lunch box ideas, party food, you name it!  There are even recipes for pregnant or breastfeeding mums to help them maintain a balanced and nutritious diet.

Last night I made the incredibly cute Potato Mice, which Master Two absolutely adored, and they were almost as much fun to make as they were to eat!  On tonight’s menu is Fish Pie which I’m really looking forwards to trying.

It’s free to sign up for the Annabel Karmel newsletter, which gives lots of great recipe ideas and top tips on baby and child nutrition as well.

Bon Appétit!

See here for the previous installment of our Miniature Gourmet special features.

Credit for all images: www.annabelkarmel.com

Today’s post written by Miki

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Chances are, if your presents aren’t all finalised by now then you’re starting to get a little nervy.  Being the time of year that it is, you probably also need your cash to stretch as far as possible. Never fear!  All you need to do to solve these problems is head to Little Styles – www.littlestyles.com.au – where there is a colossal  – over 300! – section full of gifts under $25.

There’s also an incredibly helpful Christmas category, which not only has all things Christmas in it (think Cocoon Couture Santa Sacks, adorable Lark knitted tree decorations and more) but also an incredibly stylish and foolproof selection of Christmas day outfits. This means you can direct grandparents and the like to the outfits section and be assured that your kids will end up with a combo that you will be thrilled to see them in (fashion clangers be gone!)

Terri at Little Styles certainly hasn’t rested on her laurels in the leadup to Christmas: there is still lots of new stock arriving almost daily. Keep an eye out for Precious Lil Things, Flirty Bird, more new Tiger Tribe, Minti high summer fashion, Peace Street, Alex & Charli drink bottles, new For Walls, oodles of books, new Alimrose toys, fabulous Walnut hair accessories, and loads of new goodies from BobbleArt.

Santa’s elves have snuck into Little Styles and set up a discount code for KidStyleFile readers: 15% off all orders over $65 until 21 December 2009. Enter discount code ‘santa’ at checkout to redeem. Don’t miss a trick in the Little Styles sale section, where a fantastic selection of items have been discounted by up to 50% off. That includes the NEW season Sooki Baby (a big favourite of mine), which has all been discounted by 20% – or if you spend over $65 and use the discount code, it’s 35% off!

Lastly, always keep in mind Little Styles’ flat rate NEXT DAY delivery (perfect for last minute shopping), with FREE delivery over $150, free giftwrapping, over 90 labels and over 1800 products. Plus if you become a fan of Little Styles on Facebook, you’ll receive up to the minute updates, and when new stock arrives this often that’s well worth it!

You can take 15% off the prices below if you spend over $65 in one transaction. Just enter ‘santa’ at checkout by 21 December 2009.

1. Toys: Tiger Tribe Jet Racer Aeroplane Set, $11.95; Sparkle T Tea Set Stand, $61.95; Wooden Doll Family Puzzle Set, $26.95
2. Christmas Fashion: Giddy Giddy Red Apple Hair Clip, $9.95; Oobi Retro Ruched Dress – Green Dots, and Red Dots, $29.95ea; Cheeky Little Soles Baby Ballet Shoes, $35.95
3. Bluebird & Honey Bloomer & Tee Gift Set – Fawn, $43.95; BLiNK Designs Printed Singlet – Elephant, $23.95; Minti Bomb Grey Short, $30.95
4. Minti Shoestring Dress – Black, $44.95
5. Froggy Green Board Book, $14.95
6. Rush Shoulder Backpack – Pirates, $29.95; Rush Suitcase XS Girls Doll, $5.95

Little Styles stocks fashion, toys and accessories from the following list of brands: Aden & Anais, Adiri, Albetta, Alex, alex & charli, Alimrose Designs, Annabel Trends, Baby Gund, Babykids, Babylegs, Babylicious, Baobab, Bbox, Bebe, Bebe Au Lait, Belly Art, Big by Fiona Scanlan, Blabla, BLINK Designs, Bluebird & Honey, Bobbleart, Bonds, Busybee Friends, Cheeky Little Soles, Cheeky Monkey, Cloud B, Cocoon Couture, Deglingos, Elodie Details, Fish Lilly, Flipsy Flopsy Doll Co., Flirty Bird, ForWalls, French Bull, Fresh Bakes, Gala Organic Cotton, Gertie and Me, Giddy Giddy, Gimmo, Global Style custom, Haba, Hess-Spielzebug, Infancy, Infantino, Isoki, Itch Design, Jack & Lily, Jasnor, Kathe Kruse, Lakeland Design, Lark and Friends, L’il Fraser Collection, Little Chippi, Little Styles, Love Police, Mamas and Papas, Marquis, Melissa & Doug toys, Miatom, Milk Baby, Minimonkey, Minti, Moppit, Muddy Cloud, Noo Design, Oobi, Paper Eskimo, Pink Thodore, Plum, Precious L’il Thingsm Purebaby, Rockabye baby!, Rush, Russ, Sevi, Sigikid, Skeanie, Skip Hop, Sooki Baby, Super Zeros, SwaddleDesigns, Three Little Trees, Tiny Mammoth, Tiny Revolutionary, Tiny Tribe, Vintage Kid, Walnut, Well Spotted, Woof!, WOW toys.

Little Styles deliver Australia-wide for the flat fee of $7.50. Orders over $150 are delivered FREE of charge! See ordering and delivery for more information, including international shipping rates.

Today’s post written by Leah

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Hip Hip Hooray! The very gorgeous Ele-ahbaaant – www.ele-ahbaant.com.au – is celebrating birthday number 1, and you are invited to join in the fun over the next week, as Ele-ahbaant takes you back to your childhood with a range of party games that will have you trumpeting in excitment.

From now until midnight 21 December 2009, you will see everything reduced in price (also don’t miss the Clearance Rack, where you’ll find designer kids fashion on sale up to 50% off!), plus spot reductions over the week. Ele-ahbaant’s unique ‘pass the parcel‘ game is hot on the list, with 3 ‘parcels’ hidden within Ele-ahbaant’s pages to be discovered each day of the celebration (21 in total!) . At $1 each, I wonder what could be under the wrapping? (Prizes between $12.95 and $74.95, that’s what!) You’ll have to find one to discover the treat: just look for the Ele-ahbaant elephants adorned with pink birthday bows to locate the ‘parcel’.

Melissa at Ele-ahbaant knows that it just isn’t a proper party without a goody bag, and every order placed until midnight purchase made throughout the week will receive a goody bag stuffed full of surprises valued at nearly $40! Hip hip hooray!

You can party on in style at Ele-ahbaant with some of the finest names in boutique boys and girls kids fashion. Choose from Agoo Leghuggers, Alejandra Kearl, Baby Star, Baobab, Blik, Cackleberry Kids, Chase ‘n Sky, Dan Dan, Djeco, Dotty Spot Designs, egg by Susan Lazar, eight3one, Ele-ahbaant Designs, Eternal Creation, Flirty Bird, Funky Little Darlings,  Glug Baby, Grasshopper Knitwear, Havoc Denim, Hoof Shoes, Itch Design, Llum, Manhattan Toy Company, Miatom, Mudpuppy, Nanny Pickle, Olli & Lime, Pink Chicken NY, Piperoid, Red Chalk, Redfish Kid’s Clothing, Stella Cove, Taia Hairclips, Tea Collection Daily Tea, Three Little Trees and Wonderboy. Go to it!

Regarding the prices below, these are the pre-birthday celebration costings (that will apply once more after the party food is put away on 21 December 2009). The prices quoted below are open to massive reductions across the sale period: watch the Ele-ahbaaant site closely to keep abreast of spot reductions.

E. Blik Insomnia Restick $71.95
l. Egg Baby Voile Ruffle Dress in Lavender $36.95
e. Manhattan Toy Company Beneath the Leaf Fairy Finger Puppets $8.95
a. Pink Chicken Sasha Dress $79.95
h. Babystar Kaleidoscope Button Romper $39.95
b. Stella Cove Nozomi Maillot $65.95
a. Piperoids $18.95
a. Miatom Guitars Short Sleeved Tee $27.95
n. Manhattan Toy Company Mini Monarch Finger Puppets $8.95
t. Miatom Robots Shorts $34.95

Ele-ahbaant ship Australia-wide from $8.50 flat rate Australia-wide (Express or Registered Post). Orders over $99.00 ship Australia-wide for FREE! See here for further shipping details.

Today’s post written by Miki

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It’s shaping up to be a long hot summer, and there’ll be nowhere better to be than the pool or the beach over the next few months.  But this leads to a dilemma: where on earth do you go to find gorgeous swimwear for the kids?

We at KidStyleFile have done the hard work for you, and rounded up the best brands for aquatic and marine fun this summer. From Polka to Girls 4 Sport, from Cuddlefish to Tiger Joe, and from Tkxi Surf to Stella Cove, the choice is extensive and there’s something for every kid from babies upwards.

Keep in mind, of course, that the Australian sun is harsh and damaging to delicate young skin, so look out for options that offer sun protection.  There’s a great range of rashies on the market these days, and brands such as Girls 4 Sport and Tkxi Surf are 50+ UV resistant.

For sheer prettiness, Polka‘s girly options and Stella Cove‘s chic styles are perfect choices.  Boys also have some great choices from Polka, and Tiger Joe do some great sporty sets for boys too.  Babies are spoiled for choice with more Polka, along with the eternal favourite Cuddlefish and adorable Lil’ Ludy.

Check out all these gorgeous options for boys, girls and babies, and get in the swim for summer!

1. Tkxi Surf Marine Blue 3/4 Sleeve Set, at Tkxi Surf $60.00
2. Polka Scandinavian Tree Boardies, at Little Pinwheel $59.95
3. Polka Black Dot Bikini, at Little Pinwheel $69.95
4. Polka Digital Grey Baby Board Shorts, at Raspberry Rascals $44.95
5. Tkxi Surf Short Sleeve Rash Vest, at Tkxi Surf $55.00
6. Stella Cove Garbo Maillot, at Design Child $74.95
7. Lil’ Ludy 70s One Piece, at Trifle Shoppe $45.00
8. Polka Peacock Mermaid One Piece, at Raspberry Rascals $69.95
9. Girls 4 Sport Fairy Garden L/S Rashie 50+ UV resistant, at Where Did You Get That $42.95
10. Cuddlefish Tankini – Flamingo Stripe, $34.95; and Cuddlefish Pool Party Skirt – Flamingo, $44.95, both at The Hip Infant
11. Small Paul Julius Heart Beach Towel, at Kid’s Got Style $49.95
12. Tiger Joe Ocean Blue Tiger Rashie, $39.95 $25.00; and Tiger Joe Ocean Blue Lined Pant, $29.95 $20.00 both at Baby’s Got Style
13. Girls 4 Sport Plum Swim Skort 50+ UV Resistant, at Where Did You Get That? $38.95
14. Cuddlefish Short Sleeve Bouyancy Swim Suit – Marine, at The Hip Infant $69.95

Please check individual stores for postage and delivery information. Also be sure to check the KidStyleFile Current Offers page, and the KidStyleFile Weekly Newsletter for discount codes to make sure you get the best possible deal. (If you’re not a subscriber already then you can sign up here – it’s free!)

Today’s post written by Edwina

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I don’t know about you, but I always seem to leave stocking stuffers until the last minute. Presents, I remember, wrapping paper, got, tags, check, turkey…. someone else’s problem!

But, I always seems to forget to stock the cupboard with lots of lovely little gifts that fill their hearts with joy as they tip the contents of their stocking out. Maybe I just assume Santa has it covered!

This year is different though, because I am going to be helping the man in red out and stopping at only one shop online.

Generation Wonder – www.generationwonder.com is the place to head to find a great selection of gifts, that are ethically sourced, fair trade and priced under $20.

Easily one of the first things to head into the shopping cart is some of the Jane Goodall Save the Animals bracelets and cuffs by Shains. They are made from recycled rubber and plastic and can be decorated by little icons of animals, letters, sports etc, encouraging creativity and thoughts about animals and the environment. They are good for boys or girls and a percentage of the sales goes directly to Jane Goodall’s Roots and Shoots Foundation.

Generation Wonder also has the stylish Room to Read Christmas Card Pack (10 cards for $10!) with 100% of the sale price going directly to Room to Read. Just $50 raised by RTR buys enough games, puzzles and toys for one library in the developing world. Of course there are lots more lovely gifts from books and puzzles, to letters, book bags, puppets and mugs: your stockings will be stuffed in no time!

With Express Post as standard, and orders shipped within 24 hours, there is lots of time to get Christmas shopping finished and delivered to your home with ease and style. All orders placed at Generation Wonder between now and 24 December 2009 receive a piece of beautiful gift wrap and gift card FREE of charge. Just add it to you cart with the rest of your order to receive.

1. Jane Goodall Save the Animals Starter Kits Prices start at $6.95
2. Adventure Letters in Pink or Blue $4.00 each
3. Room to Read Christmas Card Set $10.00
4. Car Tyre Pencil Pouch $14.95
5. Apron $14.35
6. Book Bag $9.95
7. Global Babies Book $12.95
8. Crocodile Creek Phthalate Free Bib $9.99
9. Little Citizen’s Mug $12.00
10. Free Gift Wrapping – add it to your cart
11. Racing Car $12.90
12. Papoose Hand Puppets – Rabbit or Frog $18.00
13. Standing Angels $14.00
14. World Map Puzzle $8.90

Generation Wonder charge from $7.00 for postage Australia wide. Read the full post charges schedule here. Generation Wonder also ship globally. Contact Mihiri for a quote.