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It’s the time of year that parents look forwards to and children will do anything to avoid… yep, it’s back to school time!

If you’ve been looking after rambunctious and increasingly restless kids all holidays, then I bet you’re looking forwards to some respite when they go back to school.  However, if the kids themselves aren’t too excited at the prospect then I suggest you sit them down on your lap or next to you by the computer, and click on over to Haggus & Stookles – www.haggusandstookles.com.au.

You see, the fine folk at H&S have been stocking the shelves with everything funky, stylish,  hip and, oh yes, practical to make going back to school something to look forwards to.  The kids are bound to start getting excited when they sift through the amazing array of lunch boxes and lunch bags, all insulated of course; no yucky warm yoghurt here!  Whether their taste runs to Fridge To Go, Tiger Tribe, Bobble Art, Built NY or Allerhand (or the adorable Stephen Joseph for the littlies) they’ll find something they can’t wait to start using.

Drink bottles are next on the list, and although there’s also a fantastic range of them here I find it very had to go past the wonderful Thermos bottles.  Little ones will love the Thermos Funtainer and Foogoo range (tried and proven in this household), while older kids will find the sleek, sophisticated styling of the Thermos Intak range appealing.  There’s absolutely nothing babyish about the Intak collection, which I bet will make your tween boy or girl extremely happy!

Moving on to the big one now: bags.  Whether you’re after a sturdy (but stylish) backpack which can take all the abuse your kid can throw at it, or a library or swim bag that won’t get lost among the rest of the school’s, you’ll find what you’re after here.  Once again the smallest members of the family will go gaga for Stephen Joseph, while your older kids might prefer Bazoongi Kids, Irony Kids, Tantrums or Tiger Tribe.  Tweens will love the Allerhand backpacks, which are packed full of features without looking too childish

There are loads of other necessary back to school goodies at Haggus & Stookles too – bag tags, sleeping mats, pencil cases and more. And what’s even better is that KidStyleFile readers can take 10% off store-wide using the code ‘KSF-SCHOOL’, and all orders over $50 (not incl. postage) will receive a FREE 4 My Earth Snack Pocket until 31 January 2010 only.

So click on over to Haggus & Stookles and get the kids revved up about the start of term.  The countdown is on!

1. Fridge To Go Small Lunch Cooler Pack, $24.95 $22.49
2. Allerhand Kids Backpacks, $77.00ea $69.30ea
3. Thermos Intak Vacuum Insulated Drink Bottle, $34.99ea $31.49ea
4. Bobble Art Kids Pencil Case – Jungle Animals, $14.99 $13.49; Tantrums Kids Pencil Case – Oriental, $15.95 $14.35
5. Thermos Intak Vacuum Insulated Drink Bottle, $34.99ea $31.49ea
6. 4 My Earth Snack Bag, $8.50 $7.65 or FREE with orders over $50!
7. Stephen Joseph Kids Backpacks, $39.95ea $35.95ea
8. Kozy Koala Sleeping Mat – Large With Blanket, $59.95 $53.95

Haggus & Stookles stock an array of products to make your life out and about with kids a breeze, including: 4 My Earth; Aden & Anais; Adore-A-View; aka Pipik; Alex Toys; Allergy free passports; Allerhand; AllyKat; Amadeus; Annabel Karmel; Annabel Trends; Baa Baa Blind; Baby Mel; Baby Nation;  Baby Sherpa; Baby U; BabyWedge; Bags & Boxes; Bazoonai Kids; Bebe au Lait; Bella Tunno; Bobble Art/Rush; Boo Boo Buddy; Brolly Sheets; Bubbaroo; Built NY; Chick Pea; Dad Gear; Danish by Design/Minui; Design Go; Djeco; Dripstik; Drop Buddy; Easyfeed; Ellaroo; Envriosax; Envirotrend; Fit & Fresh; Fridge to Go; Gaia Skin Naturals; Go Home Junior; Goldbug; Goober Baby; High Road; Houdini Stop; Hurphy Durphy; Infantino; Infoband; Innate; Irony Homewares; JazSlings; Jelly Cat; Kaboodle Bags; Kiddysac; KidsAlert; Kipiis; Kozy Koala; Kozyepi; Littlelife; Lollipop Monkey; Longitude 151; Made by Mums; Medibuddy; Melissa & Doug; Moochie-Mo; Munchee Mug; My Little Seat; myBagTag; olli&pop; OnTray; Oobi; Petit Jour Paris; Pigeon; Playgro; Pure Wipes; Scrunch; SIGG; Skip Hop; Snug as a Bug; Stick ‘n Go; Storksak; Stuffit; Swan & Sparrow; Tantrums; Tatyourtot; The Bag Tag Studio; The Mummy Hook; Thermos; Tiger Tribe; Trunki; Vanchi; Woobee

Postage and handling starts at $6.50. Express post within Australia and International registered post are available. Insurance is optional. See the Haggus & Stookles site for more details.

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There is nothing quite like the wonder, excitement and joy babies and little people bring to the world. Proprietors Dimity and Paul have captured so much of this emotion and translated it into the pages of their gorgeous online store Just Ripe – www.justripe.com.au.

The baby and toddler fashion, toys, and accessories that Just Ripe brings together are very stylish, with each product of the highest quality. And trust me when I say the range is HUGE!

Check the list for certain bliss: Aden & Anais, Albetta, And The Little Dog Laughed, Annabel Trends, Alimrose Designs, Artee Supplies, Babymoov, Baby Banz, Baby Legs, Baobab, Blabla, Bluebird & Honey, Books To Wear, Boon, Cheeky Monkey, Clean Shopper, EcoBaby, Eleganter, Eternal Creation, Fiesta Crafts, Fish Lilly, Forwalls, Gaia Skin Naturals, Gaia Organic Cotton, Heimess, Hess Spielzeug, Hurphy Durphy, Huckleberry Lane, Infantino, Imse Vimse, Infancy, Itsy Bitsy, Jack & Lily, Jock & Tilly, Korimco Toys, Kumquat, Little Joey Organics, Little Tasoro, Lotus Linens, Monkey Do, mamapapa, Marquise, Mill & Mia, Minimonkey, Nice4Neez, Noo Designs, Nurtured By Nature, Peanut Shell, Pop Maternity, Snazzy Baby, Star & Rose, Storksak, Paper Eskimo, Pepperpot, Polkadot Papoose, Purebaby, Read With Me, Ring O Rosey, Taia, The Wall Sticker Company, Tiny Tribe, Toys Pure, and Walnut.

So much to give you the warm fuzzies here, not to mention you can score up to 50% off in the sale section right now. But wait – there’s MORE! For the next 7 days, KSF readers can take an additional 15% off *everything* in-store at Just Ripe. Yup, this discount includes already reduced stock!! Enter ‘KSF-July’ at checkout to take advantage of this fantastic offer until it ends, all too soon, on 28 July 2009.

This week at Just Ripe is a great time to buy for upcoming birthdays, new babies, christenings or Christmas. Not only are the prices hot, Just Ripe is geared up to help make you a superb gift giver! There is a fabulous “shop by price” option and they also offer personalised service.

With such a great offer on hand, it pays to be super savvy and pick up some hot product to keep you going through winter, or stash for a later date. From the sale section I love the Infancy ‘Jungle’ All-In-One in navy, and the Gaia Organic Cotton Sweetpea Wrap Vest.

I’m also loving the delightfully named brand ‘And The Little Dog Laughed’, new to Just Ripe – their crocheted blankets would make a beautiful addition to any nursery, and for mums on the move, the Fridge to Go Lunch Coolers are such a clever idea.

For Mum’s of little one on the move, check out the ‘Safety’ category at Just Ripe, where you can find all the essentials you need, including drawer latches, outlet plugs, seat belt protectors and trolley covers, to baby-proof your house, and give yourself some peace of mind.

1. And The Little Dog Laughed – Boys Crocheted Blanket $49.95 less 15% with code = $42.45
2. Infancy Jungle All-In-One – Navy $38.50 $28.88 less 15% with code = $24.54
3. Gaia Organic Cotton Sweetpea Wrap Vest – Charm Braid $44.95 $33.71 less 15% with code = $28.65
4. Eternal Creation Hand Crocheted Dress – Hot Pink $59.95 $44.96 less 15% with code = $38.21
5. Fridge To Go – Small Lunch Cooler – Black $29.95 less 15% with code = $24.45
6. Nurtured By Nature Merino LS Dress – Candytuft $89.95 $67.46 less 15% with code = $57.34
7. Fish Lilly Baby Wrap – Hearts $45.00 less 15% with code = $38.25
8. Albetta Knitted Monkey – Dark Red $31.95 less 15% with code = $27.15
9. Eternal Creation Sleeveless Outdoors Jacket – Blue $59.95 $44.96 less 15% with code = $38.21
10. Baobab Striped Toddler Hoodie – Green & Blue $47.95 $35.96 less 15% with code = $30.56

For standard size parcels, Just Ripe offer flat rate shipping of $7.50 Australia wide and $18.00 for international orders. Orders $150 and over are delivered FREE of charge. See FAQ’s (http://www.justripe.com.au/faqs.php) for more information.

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For back to childcare/pre-school/kinder/school supplies you just can’t go by Kinder Kaboodle – www.kinderkaboodle.com.au. This fabulous store, run by genuine sweetheart Bernice, is purpose-built to make life kitting your kids as easy as pie.

For backpacks, large enough to accommodate lunch, snacks, art projects, and a change of clothes, whilst still being small enough for a little person to carry, choose from Kinder Kaboodle’s fab range from Rush, Tiger Tribe, Mini Rhubarb, Fleurville (my personal faves!), and Zebra Crossing (now on sale!). For swim bags and library bags, check out the range from Kiddysac. Choose from the cute range of bag tags from The Bag Tag Studio to ensure that your backpack is easily identifiable.

Drink bottles from Alex & Charli, Rush and Tatiri are essential to keep your little one hydrated.

Lunch boxes are another essential, and the insulated varieties are great for keeping food fresh and bacteria free. Fleurville Kids, and Fridge-To-Go lunch bags are just the thing. There are also a super selection of lunch bags from Penny Scallan, Bestever, 4 My Earth (fantastic eco-friendly options!), Crocodile Creek, and Rush.

Many schools are now requesting that your child front up with a hand towel with a loop. Kinder Kaboodle saves the day, with towels from Feef (who also make the world’s best smocks, in my opinion -  *nothing* can soak through these babies!).

Name personalisation services are also available on many of the products at Kinder Kaboodle – Kinder Kaboodle is a full service!

To further sweeten your shopping experience, you can enter ‘KSF’ in the discount code/coupon section at checkout to receive 10% off all orders at Kinder Kaboodle until 31 January 2009.

PS: Don’t forget to check out the Sale section at Kinder Kaboodle for lots of quality goodies for less.

Take 10% off all the prices quoted below with the code mentioned above until 31 January 2009.

A. The Bag Tag Studio Bag Tags $9.95 each
B. Fleurville Kids Backpack $59.95
C. Feef Hand Towels $10.95 each
D. Penny Scallan Lunchbag $19.95
E. Rush Dinosaur Backpack $39.95
F. Bestever Alligator Lunchbag $29.95 $23.95
G. Crocodile Creek Lunchbag $29.95
H. Kiddysac Library bag $19.95
I. Fridge-To-Go Lunchbag $26.95
J. Zebra Crossing Backpack $39.95 $31.95

These top brands are stocked at Kinder Kaboodle: Alex & Charli, Bazoongi Kids, Bestever, Bobble Art, Boys Don’t Wear Bows, Charlie and Lola, Chelona, Chick Pea, Cocoon Couture, Crocodile Creek, Cupcakes Jewellery, Feef, Fleurville, Fruity Faces, Giddy Giddy, Goldfish Gifts, Happy Guru, Hotbods, Jam Industries, Kiddysac, Kids Cold Packs, Little Chipipi, Little Swish, Milestone Press, Mini Rhubarb, Mini Whisk, 4 My Earth, Oscar Blue, Penny Scallan, Rolly Poly Kids, Rush, Smelly Welly, Tatiri, The Bag Tag Studio, Vintage Kid, Western Chief, and Zebra Crossing Club.

Kinder Kaboodle charge $6.00 for parcels up to 500gms and $9.00 for parcels 501gms-3kg, Australia wide. Orders over 4.3kg will display the charge at checkout. Orders over $120 are shipped free!

Posted in Bobble Art, Cocoon Couture, Fleurville Kids, Kinder Kaboodle, Rush, Tiger Tribe
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I am the proud owner of a Kindy Kamper – www.kindykamper.com.au. If you haven’t seen the Kindy Kamper before you should know that they’re only *the coolest* travel and kindy bedding for kids around!

Essentially the Kindy Kamper is a complete portable bedding solution for kids, designed to fit most kindy mats and stretcher beds (and it fits most portacot mattresses a treat too).

The bottom layer is lovely soft quilting with a 100% cotton cover. Then there’s a removable pillow and the top layers are a cotton blend top sheet, and a cosy and soft embroidered polar fleece blanket, which is removable, so it’s great all year round.

When the kids head off to kindy and need to take bedding the Kindy Kamper is absolutely perfect. No more naming each and every sheet and blanket and having to dig through lost property each week when part of the ensemble has gone missing yet again. Nope, none of that with the Kindy Kamper, because it’s all attached together!

It rolls up into an easy-to-carry ‘swag’ with a panel for the child’s name easily visible on the outside, and voila! You’re ready to go without needing to hunt down a single pillowcase.

When the Kindy Kamper needs washing you simply remove the pillow insert and throw everything else into the washing machine. You can even tumble dry it afterwards, handy if your climate is anything like mine!

There are a great range of designs to choose from (I love the new Denim Kampers with denim sheeting and a bright red fleece blanket complete with appliquéd denim star – it’s gorgeous!) , and also a great new product in the Kindy Kamper stable that will be of interest to those of you with older kids.

The Big Kamper (in fabulous denim) is designed for bigger little people from age 6 upwards. It’s the Kindy Kamper but upsized: ideal for primary school camps, camping trips, sleepovers, and cubby camp-outs. What a blessing!

It’s a great time to scoop up some Kindy Kampers as Cassy at Kindy Kamper is offering KidStyleFile readers a 10% discount via reimbursement on the Kindy Kamper. Mention ‘KidStyleFile’ in the PayPal comments field at checkout, and Cassy will refund you back 10% of your Kindy Kamper’s purchase price.* Offer ends Friday 5 September.

Just some of the fab Kindy Kamper designs available:
Jungle Animals, Flower Power, Denim, Butterfly, Transport all $54.95 each $49.45 each after 10% discount

Just on a personal note, even though the Kindy Kamper is aimed at pre-schoolers (and now school aged kids with the new Big Kamper), even the very littlest ones can use it. My son is only 12 months old and we use it all the time. It fits perfectly into our portacot and makes for super-easy travel bedding. It’s cute, cuddly, cozy, convenient and absolutely ideal for babies and toddlers when travelling.

This is my son Alex in his portacot with the Kindy Kamper. My Kindy Kamper is the Transport Green model – I love it!

Also, while you’re over at the Kindy Kamper site, check out the great range of other products available.

The Fridge To Go (TM) lunchboxes are such a clever innovation. No longer will your drink be unpleasantly warm and your sandwiches hot and soggy – now you can keep food and drinks cold for up to eight hours! There are no batteries, ice or external power and it’s completely portable. Can’t get easier than that! They’re great to look at too, with two bright, attractive colours: pink and pacific blue.

Kindy Kamper also stocks the ever fabulous Penny Scallan backpacks, and the highly useful Reward Charts and really nifty kids calendars.

Kindy Kamper charges from $10.00 within Australia. Please see here for a full list of postage charges.

*Please note that you must pay full price and Cassy will refund you 10% – a vagary of PayPal. 10% refund applies to Kindy Kamper orders only; does not apply to other stock items.

When enterprising Mum, Cassy Tapper couldn’t find a bedding solution suitable for her kids to use at creche and kindy, she designed her own, and so the award winning Kindy Kamper – www.kindykamper.com.au – was born!

Cassy is having an end of financial year clearance on current stock, and is offering KidStyleFile readers a $5.00 reimbursement on the Kindy Kamper. Mention ‘KidStyleFile’ in the PayPal comments field at checkout, and Cassy will refund you $5.00*

I got one for Miki’s son Alex to use while travelling, so I’ve had first hand experience of the product. I can tell you that the Kindy Kamper is a very clever piece of design engineering, and it’s practical and cute too!

The Kindy Kamper has two top layers: the first is is the polar fleece layer and the second is 100% cotton sheeting.

The polar fleece layer can be zipped off, for when the weather is warmer, or for use as a separate blankie. Both the sheet and the polar blankie are oversized on the horizontal plane, so they can be tucked snugly under the bottom layer.

The top sheeting of the Kindy Kamper is permanently attached to the bottom layer, which is quilted with polyester fill for warmth and comfort, and comes complete with an attached pillowcase with removable pillow.

I love that the sheet and pillow are attached; they can’t be thrown off or lost, and the flexibility of the polar layer is a very thoughtful innovation.

The Kindy Kamper comes with adjustable velcro corners for a snug fit and at 125cm x 90cm x 90cm, it will fit most kindy mats and stretcher beds (Miki says it fits a portacot just great too!)

Kindy Kamper rolls up and is secured by sewn-on velcro straps for easy transport complete with an attached carry handle. There’s even a special spot to write your child’s name for ease of identification.

Choose from eight great kid-friendly designs. The Kindy Kamper is priced at $49.95 (and will be going up by $5.00 from 1 July, so beat the price rise!)

Mention ‘KidStyleFile’ in the PayPal comments field at checkout, and it’s yours for just $44.95. That is a super bargain: you couldn’t make it for that!

Cassy has also just started stocking Cushy Couches on the Kindy Kamper site. Single couches are $99.95 and double couches are $139.95.

Stay tuned also for new stock from Kindy Kamper, including the ‘Big Kamper’: a jumbo version of the Kindy Kamper made especially for bigger kids, and the Fridge to Go lunch boxes, great for school days and days out.

Kindy Kampers composition and care is as follows:

100% acrylic polar fleece , 100% cotton sheeting, polyester fill base and pillow. Kindy Kamper is warm machine washable, and can be tumble-dried.

*Please note that you must pay full price and Cassy will refund you $5.00 – a vagary of PayPal. $5.00 refund applies to Kindy Kamper orders only; does not apply to other stock items.

Postage starts at $10.00. Please see the Kindy Kamper website for full postage details.