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I have to thank Denise at Chic Kids – www.chickids.com.au – for this: somehow she has used ESP to work out that I have a number of friends’ kids’ birthdays coming up that I need to organise presents for, and so she has discounted her entire Playtime section by 15%! The timing couldn’t be more perfect.

For little Aimee who is turning three, I’m thinking the Sparkle T Hearts Tea Set. Like most three-year-old girls she has a tendency towards anything pink and tea sets are so great for role play. She should get hours of fun out of this lovely set!

For Oscar, whose first birthday is fast approaching, I want to go with a selection of musical toys: maracas, wrist bells, maybe even a wooden recorder as I’m sure he’ll work out how to make it toot before too long!

Zoe and Ella are turning six, and they’re just learning how to tell the time at school.  This is perfect because Denise has used her ESP again to mark down everything in her ‘Watches & Clocks‘ section by 10% - this means that her fab collection of watches and alarm clocks by Jaques Farel are now at even better prices!  I’m having trouble choosing which of the gorgeous designs the two girls might like though – there’s so many to decide between.  These watches are featured in an editorial in the current My Child Magazine (the editor Lise’s son liked the one he wore so much that she ended up buying it for him!)

My son Alex could even benefit from me shopping for other children at Chic Kids, because all KidStyleFile readers who make a purchase at Chic Kids this week will go into the draw to WIN a Brio Push Along Race Car, valued at $16.95, in their choice of colour!  All we have to do is enter ‘KSF’ and our choice of colour (pink, red, green or black) in the comments section at checkout.  These offers all end at midnight on 30 May 2009.

So if you have any little birthdays coming up, I recommend using these discounts to stock up on presents now – and if you don’t have any in the near future, it’s always a great idea to grab presents at discounts and put them away in a drawer ready for the next occasion. You can even take advantage of Denise’s gorgeous FREE giftwrapping!  Top tip: if the presents are for the present drawer, just make sure you put a note on each one saying what it is so you don’t forget

Prices quoted in red below are valid until midnight 30 May 2009.

1. Sparkle T Hearts Tea Set, $48.95 $41.61
2. Caterpillar Balance Wooden Toy, $26.95 $22.41
3. Bebe Kangaroo, $25.95 $22.06
4. Wooden Baby Maracas, $7.50 $6.37
5. GUND Ring Ring! Alarm Clock, $24.95 $21.21
6. Jaques Farel Jungle Theme Watch, $39.95 $35.95
7. Jaques Farel Purple Scented Watch, $39.95 $35.95
8. Wooden Finger Puppet Theatre – Jungle, $18.95 $16.11
9. Wrist Bells – Red, $8.95 $7.61
10. Lorry The Tip Truck, $18.95 16.11
11. Animal Bowling Set, $32.95 $28.01

Chic Kids post Australia-wide from $7.95 using Express Post.  Please see here for further details.

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I don’t know how Sanja at Gifts4Kidz – www.gifts4kidz.com.au – does it, but every time I visit her beautiful online children’s gift store her range seems to have tripled from what it was at the previous visit.  And it was already big to start with!

Not only is there a lot more to drool over – ahem, I mean look at – but every piece is fantastic.  There are loads of my favourite brands represented, such as Pintoy wooden toys, Books To Wear pyjamas, Rush and Wheelybug – and, believe me, that’s the barest sampling!

Sanja also has a knack for finding fantastic new brands and products. SunnyLIFE is one such example – I hadn’t seen their products ’til I browsed G4K – but now I’m a big fan of their beach-themed gifts for slightly older children, and Posh Pyjamas who do stunning sleepwear for teenage girls and adult women.

Sanja is also just about to introduce new lines of clothing including Minihaha, Bebe, Woof!, Marquise and Little Leona.  These will mainly be sold in sets to take all hassle out of buying clothes online – keep your eyes peeled!

The G4K homepage has also been updated with new features such as Show & Tell, featuring a new product each week, and What’s On 4 Kidz which will list up and coming events for kids and families throughout Australia.

What makes Gifts4Kidz so easy to use is that no matter what age the child you’re buying for, whether newborn or teenage or somewhere in between, there’s a whole category of thoughtfully selected presents to choose from.

This of course makes it super-easy to buy for other people’s children – I never do know what to buy for five year old girls! – but also for your own child. You don’t need to wade through a vast array of fluffy toys if you’re buying for a 12 year old boy, but you also don’t need to look at all the cricket sets and skateboards if you’re buying for a toddler girl.  See, easy!  You may *want* to look at everything though, as it’s all so cool!

Gifts4Kidz is offering KSF readers 15% off store-wide until the 10th of April 2009:  just enter ‘KSF09′ at checkout. Please note that this discount cannot be used with any other offer.

You can take 15% off all prices below with the code ‘KSF09′ until 10 April 2009.

1. Roller Surfer Pro, $199.95
2. SunnyLIFE Beach Paddles, $19.95
3. Books To Wear ‘My Fire Truck’ Pyjama, $34.95 $26.25
4. Read With Me Book Set, $32.95
5. Pintoy Teaching Clock, $45.00
6. Britt Black Poppy Mini Dress, $49.95
7. Marquise Romper Gift Set – Stone, $59.95
8. Posh Pyjamas Crest Knit Singlet & Long Pant Set, $99.95 $74.95
9. Passport To Australia Board Game, $59.95
10. Books To Wear ‘Hearts’ Pyjama, $39.95 $29.95
11. Assorted Serenella Tights, from $24.95
12. Pintoy Wooden Toys, from $39.95

Brands stocked at Gifts4Kidz include Automoblox, Britt, Bobble Art, Books To Wear, Chippie Bags & Accessories, Christopher Vine Design, Cudworth, Custard Pie, Jacques Farel, Kate Finn, Le Toy Van, Little Beetle, Little Swish, Lovely Chubblies, Tin Lid Designs, Melo Baby, Manhattan Toy Co, Marquise, Milestone Press, Creative Education, Alperstein Designs, Paper Eskimo, Posh!, Missi Missi, Tiger Tribe and Zoe Bonbon.

Gifts4Kidz charge a flat rate delivery of $9.95 Australia wide and provide FREE gift packaging.

I have a lovely treat for you today, in the form of the freshly launched Gifts4Kids – www.gifts4kidz.com.au – who bring you a wonderful range of giftable toys, nursery pieces, jewellery, and accessories for kids from birth into the teen years.

All products have been carefully selected for quality, style, uniqueness, with a focus on leading Australian and European brands including Britt, Djeco, Le Toy Van, Kate Finn, Chippie, Little Beetle, Tin Lid Designs, Melo Baby, Creative Education, Alperstein Designs, Missi Missi, Tiger Tribe, Little Swish, Jacques Farel and Zoe Bonbon.

Sanja and Marina at Gifts4Kidz are will be continuously expanding their range; look out for sleepwear, and additional newborn gift packs, which will be on the site soon.

Exceptional care and effort is taken to ensure that “wow” factor when someone receives a Gifts4Kidz gift. All purchases are packaged in our gorgeous signature gift bags free of charge, with a personalised card to match, and orders are speedily dispatched to you within 24 hours.

To celebrate their launch, Gifts4Kidz are gifting KidStyleFile readers 10% off all purchases made between 1-31 September.  Enter ‘KSF’ in the promotion code section at checkout to redeem.

See below for today’s picks.

I am enthralled by the Zoe Bonbon bracelets, particularly the “I Love Paris!”design below. Zoe resides and creates in the Loire valley in France, and was formerly a designer for fashion house Rochas. Her creations are listed as a gift for a teen, I think us Mums could easily treat ourselves to this one as well!!

The Alice in Wonderland Chess Set is another superb item on offer at Gifts4Kids. Read the book to fire the imagination, and then teach your daughter or son this timeless game of strategy.

More imaginative play is fostered with the nothing short of fabulous Le Toy Van wooden dollhouses and pirate ships (amongst other things: it’s hard to make a choice as *all* Le Toy Van products are such a delight!). I’m loving the pirate dress-up costume, which brings some theatrical pomp to the genre with it’s velour fabric, and golden tassels, and it makes a perfect accompaniment to the Pirate Ship.

For babies you cannot go past the Kanoe, said to sooth even the most unsettled babe, and the Melo Baby all-in-one nappy wrap and change mats.

Clockwise from top left. Prices quoted are after the 10% discount has been applied:

Kanoe in ‘Earth and Sky’ (also available in ‘Khaki and Natural’) $349.00 $314.10
Zoe Bonbon “I Love Paris!” bracelet (available in a range of designs) $169.00 $152.10
Le Toy Van Sweetheart Cottage Set (includes furniture and dolls) $259.95 $233.95
Le Toy Van Shanghai Warrior Pirate Ship Set (includes figurines and accessories) $145.00 $130.50
Melo Baby in ‘Melonoir’ (black. Also available in MeloChoc) $59.95 $53.95
Roald Dahl Book Pack: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and The BFG $31.00  $27.90
Miss Missi Beanbag Junior Boys $79.95 each $71.95
Pirate Dress-up set $32.95 $29.65
Alice in Wonderland Chess Set $130.00 each $117.00

Gifts4Kidz charge a flat rate delivery of $9.95 Australia wide.