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My impression is, there are some people in the world who were just born to talk. They love it! Is there a chatterbox in residence at your house? There always seems to be one, yet I wouldn’t have said that was true of our house. That is, until 17 months ago…when our daughter arrived! Since birth, there has been a rolling stream of sound coming from this little person. At first she cried. Loudly. And now? Ooo baby, can she chat!  Every waking minute there is a constant babble, she is the epitome of a chatterbox!

Bringing all the babbling brook of energy, enthusiasm, interest and friendliness that my little girl, and every chatterbox possess to their store, is the aptly named boutique Mini Chatterbox – www.minichatterbox.com.au.

Mini Chatterbox is a chirpy little store which brings together a joyful mix of fashion forward clothing and accessories for mini people. You will find a gorgeous range of gear catering from newborn right up to age 7 from a fabulous range of brands.

In store you will find Aden & Anais, Alimrose Design, b. box, Bebe, Bebe Jnr, Carters, Chalk n Cheese, Cocoon, Cocoon Couture, Ellani Petite, Fixoni, Gymboree UK, Jarmeez, Junior Master Chef, Mill & Mia, MiniChatterbox, Moppit, Old Soles, Olli & Pop, Polarn O. Pyret, Purebaby, Rising Star, Sooki Baby, Tommy Rocket, Woof, Two Belles and Walnut.

Right now, Mini Chatterbox have some special offers that are bound to get all our grown up tongues wagging!  There is a fantastic sale on during June with up to  50% off  labels like Purebaby, Bebe, Walnut, Sooki Baby, Mill & Mia, Tommy Rocket, Two Belles and more. While stocks last, you can also get a FREE Library bag with any Cocoon Couture bean bag purchase, and when you spend over $150 and you will receive FREE postage!

And that’s not all! Mini Chatterbox are also offering KidStyleFile readers an exclusive 30% off all current season full price stock. How’s that for something to spread the word about?! You will need special discount code ‘Style’ which when entered at checkout will calculate a tidy 30% discount for you! Nice huh?! This offer ends midnight 30 June 2010.

Prices quoted in red below are only applicable with exclusive KSF code (see above for details). Offer expires midnight 30 June 2010.

1. Old Soles petal Ballet Flats $49.95 less 30% = $34.97
2. Bebe Charlie Double Sleeve Romper $39.95 less 30% = $27.96
3. Tommy Rocket Union Jack Hoodie 69.95 less 30% = $48.96
4. Two Belles Watercolour Girls Hoodie $69.95 less 30% = $48.96
5. Fixoni Stars Long Sleeve Top $36.95 less 30% =$25.87
6. Purebaby Knitted Long Sleeve Dress $54.95 less 30% = $38.47
7. Junior Master Chef Cupcake Set $39.95 less 30% = $27.97
8. Cocoon Couture Bean Bags $99.95 less 30% = $69.97
9. Chalk N Cheese Keepsake Lilac Coat $169.95 less 30% = $118.97
10. Walnut Gumboots – Blue & Walnut Gumboots- Pink $39.95 less 30% = $27.97

At Mini Chatterbox orders placed before 12pm are generally dispatched within 24 hours. Delivery is via Express Post and starts at $7.95 Australia wide. See Delivery for full rates and information.

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My daughter has inherited my love for shoes. She loves nothing better than flicking through a magazine, pointing out boots, mary-janes….even sneakers. Left unattended it takes only minutes for the familiar “clip clop, clip clop” of her feet headed down the hall in my heels to sound through the house. Unlike my son, who will happily go through a whole season with a simple pair of runners, a pair of “good” boots and gumboots, Miss N seems to find a new pair to add to her collection every other week!

With this in mind, let me reintroduce you to one of my absolute favourite shoe shops for little feet: Tiny Steps – www.tinysteps.com.au. There is a shoe here for even the fussiest of little people, for feet both wide and slim. What’s more, with their extensive collection of brands including Chillikids, Pediped, Pedoodles, shooshoos, Sweet Shoes, diddledumpling, Bibi, Annabel Tends, 2feettall, Blabla, Kinder Clobber, SKEANIE, Cheeky Little Soles, Vessel, Scruffy Dog, Eeni Meeni Miini Moh, Woof!, Old Soles, Rileyroos and BLOCH, there is an endless source of inspiration for every outfit in your munchkins wardrobe.

Today Miss N and I are shouting ‘hooray’ with all our fellow shoe-lovers for Tiny Steps are celebrating their 2^nd birthday with a sale! This sale includes a number of my favourite brands like Bloch (a new favourite of Suri Cruise), Old Soles and Pediped.  This celebration is even BIGGER for KSF readers, because you can take an additional 20% off the entire collection at Tiny Steps, including sale items! Simply use ‘KSF-BDAY’ at checkout to redeem. This special offer expires 13 June 2010.

With a party on the horizon for us, I’m tossing up between the Pediped Audrey Black and BLOCH Silk Pink Luxury Pearl for Miss N (my choice will determine which party outfit she will wear) and for Master R, the Chillikids Kobe Navy are a sure buy.

If you have a toddler just starting to walk, I cannot recommend Old Soles and Cheeky Little Soles highly enough. Both brands were purchased during my kids pre-walking stage, fit brilliantly and were soft and pliable for their growing feet.

So, from one shoe-lover (or two I should say!) to you dear reader, let me tell you shopping at Tiny Steps is hassle free. There is a no fuss returns policy, free personalised gift wrapping, and all shoes are shipped in their original boxes (unlike some other sites). Sign up for their newsletter or “like” their Facebook page for further deals and upcoming news.

Please note prices quoted in red are only applicable with special KSF code (read above for details) until 13 June 2010.

1. Pediped Flex Adrian Choc Brown/Tan $64.95 less 20%=  $51.96
2. Chillikids Charlie Green $24.95 less 20%=  $19.96
3. Rileyroos Emmy Scarlet $54.95 less 20%= $43.96:
4. Pediped Victoria Black Patent $49.95 $39.95 less 20%= $31.96
5. Chillikids Lilli Navy Spot $19.95 less 20%= $15.96
6. Bloch Patent Ballerina Cipria $49.95 $39.95 less 20%= $31.96
7. Annabel Trends Dots $19.95 $14.00 less 20%= $11.20
8. Scruffy Dog tights $14.00 less 20%= $11.20

Tiny Steps posts within Australia for a flat rate of $7.50 for Express Post, or $8.50 for Registered Post, while orders over $150 are posted FREE of charge. International orders are welcomed. Contact Fiona for a postage quote.

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Goodness gracious me, I just can’t keep up with all the happenings at Little Styles – www.littlestyles.com.au. Just when I think Terri can’t possibly squeeze another brand into her extensive list (there are already over 90 labels represented at her store!) I blink and suddenly Mon*star Kids, Tiger Tribe and adorable Aussie baby shoe brand Old Soles have appeared!

Not only are there those three new brands instore, but also a whole host of stunning new products from existing labels as well.  You can’t miss the hairclips from Giddy Giddy, new shoes from Walnut, tees from BLiNK design (see below for the Tie Print tee, I’m coveting it for my boys), sweet little charms from Cocoon Couture, and a new shipment from Bluebird & Honey.

The Christmas section has also been freshly stocked with all sorts of festive goodies sure to get you in the mood for the silly season, including Cocoon Couture santa sacks, ForWalls decals and Lark & Friends knitted Christmas tree decorations.

There’s a great competition running at Little Styles for the month of November. To enter all you need to do is be a newsletter subscriber and share the opportunity to subscribe with your friends – that’s it!  And just by doing that you could win a $300 Little Styles shopping spree! Once your friends’ email addresses have been submitted you automatically go into the draw.  The winner will be announced at the end of the month and published in the newsletter.

Just as exciting is the promotion Terri is running: For five days only KidStyleFile readers can take 15% off store-wide!  The code is ‘novfun’ and it expires at midnight on 15 November 2009. Do take advantage of it, as store-wide discounts certainly aren’t the norm at this time of year.

With over 1800 products to choose from there really is something for everyone at Little Styles.  Don’t forget about the FREE giftwrapping, flat rate overnight delivery – FREE with purchases over $150 – and the no fuss exchanges and refunds

1. Giddy Giddy Red Flower Hair Clip, $9.95 $8.45; Oobi Allegra Top – Pop Dots On Pink, $24.95 $21.20; Oobi April Ruffle Skirt, $39.95 $33.95
2. BLiNK Designs Tie Print Tee, $33.95 $28.85; Fresh Baked Boys Denim Shorts, $36.95 $31.40; Old Soles Hip Hop Jogger – White & Silver, $44.95 $38.20
3. Cocoon Couture Santa Sack – Red Reindeer, $54.95 $46.70
4. Itch Design Poodle Doodle Onesie, $34.95 $29.70; Mon*star Kids Blue Owl Onesie, $28.95 $24.60
5. Lakeland Design Star Cushion – Denim, $39.95 $33.95; Lakeland Design Couture All-Star Cot Set, $164.95 $140.20
6. Giimmo Night Light – Velo Jr the Velociraptor, $44.95 $38.20

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.

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Since becoming a mum I have added two new hobbies to my repertoire of interests: kids fashion and competitions; so you can imagine my glee when I came across Babies and Kids – www.babiesandkids.com.au – and discovered their expansive range of children’s fashion labels AND a range of competitions and giveaways!

You too will be rubbing your hands together in anticipation of a number of fabulous deals open to you when you cruise on over to the site- and many of them don’t require a purchase!!

To begin with, Babies and Kids have some gorgeous summer ranges including Minihaha dresses and Woof! tops and boardies; Eternal Creation; Toetum‘s new floral range (preorders available); Ohme-Ohmi; Bacche, Bright Bots and Max and Tilly (which are both nearly sold out already!)

I don’t know about you, but for me I just love competitions of any sort – the idea of doing barely anything in order to take home something fabulous is only surpassed by the actual win!

At Babies and Kids you are rewarded just for being a fan! Subscribe to the Babies and Kids newsletter (go to the sign-up box on their homepage) between 19 October and 9 December 2009, and instantly go into the draw to win a Christmas hamper valued at over $1000!

The centrepiece of the prize pack is Patches, the Mamas & Papas Rocking Horse, valued at over $500, which is suitable from three years. If your little one is too young to ride Patches he will make a beautiful statement in your nursery until your little cowboy or cowgirl is ready to climb into the saddle. Other components of this porize include a Comfy Easy PC system, two Alex and Charli water bottles, a Little Beetle Kinder bag, a $200 clothing voucher and a Mamas & Papas Christmas stocking

If you are already a Babies and Kids subscriber send Heather at Babies and Kids a message with the comment “Count me in!” to enter the comp. Effortless, yes?

But wait, there’s more!

No summer outfit is complete without a pair of coordinated shoes! I personally recommend Old Soles as they were one of only a handful of brands that fit my Dear Daughters chubby *wide* feet.

Spend $50 or more on anything in-store at Babies and Kids and go into the draw to win one of two pairs of Old Soles. The two winners can choose the size and colour (subject to availability). Spend $100 or more and go into the draw to win a $300 shopping spree!

And just when you thought there couldn’t possibily be any more….

Babies and Kids have also created their own blog. To celebrate they have some super hot deals on b.box (10-50% off or FREE). Visit the blog for more details.

Expecting a baby? Contact B&K with your name, email address and expected due date (or their age), and you will receive monthly emails with offers and discounts exclusive to Baby Club members. The Baby Club will also have a big focus on helpful information for new mums including interviews with parenting experts on hot topics, such as overcoming sleep problems and when to start solids. And if you spend $100 or more at Babies and Kids you’ll receive 10% off all purchases for a year.

What else, you ask?

For ongoing, monthly and once-off specials click on ‘red hot specials‘ at the bottom of the Babies and Kids website, and finally, all orders $50+ placed at Babies and Kids until 31 October 2009 will be shipped absolutely free! Phew! It’s *all* good!!

1. Ohme-Ohmi Helicopter Tee $39.95
2. Minihaha Bengal Bay V-Neck Dress $63.95
3. Eternal Creation Coralie Party Dress $38.95
4. Old Soles Hip Hop Jogger $49.95 Old Soles Mary Jane Butterfly Shoe (Hot Pink) $49.95 (Enter the draw to win when you spend $50+ in store)
5. Minihaha Salvador Frill Dress $64.95
6. b.box Beep Beep Nappy Wallet $34.95
7. Toetum Red Frill Sleeved Tee $29.95 Toetum White Frill Skirt $34.95
8. WOOF Hibiscus Board Shorts $39.90
9. Bacche Baboon Tee (2-6 years) EXCLUSIVE to B&K $34.95
Christmas hamper WIN ME!
W. A Little Beetle Kinder bag
I. Mamas & Papas ‘Patches’ Rocking horse
N. A Comfy Easy PC system
M. Merino Kids Sleeping Bag (exclusive to KSF winner!)
E. Two Alex and Charli water bottles
AND a $200 clothing voucher and a Mamas and Papas Christmas stocking

Babies and Kids stock a wide range of labels including: b.box; Pure Baby; Gaia Oragnic Cotton; Max and Tilly, Marquise, Plum, Minihaha, Woof!, Bebe, Tiny Minymo, Minymo, Eternal Creation, Baobab, Bacche, Agoo, Mamas & Papas, Yunginz, Ecoboo, Toetum, Piccalilly, Old Soles, Pram Rock, Pink Chicken, Merino Kids, In the Round, Uttam, Ohme-Ohmi, Alex and Charli, Books to Wear, Cozibug, Bright Bots, Cozyosko, 5 Star Baby, Itzy Ritzy, Little Beetle, and Little Amigos.

Babies and Kids charge $7.65 flat fee Express Post delivery Australia wide. Orders over $50 are shipped free until 31 October 2009. International orders are welcome: delivery charges are $15 to New Zealand, and $20 to the rest of the world. Click here for full postage and delivery information.

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I have a most wonderful store to introduce you to today: KidStyleFile readers, meet Babies and Kids – www.babiesandkids.com.au. I’m sure you’ll be great friends, with many happy ‘playdates’ together.

Here’s why: Babies and Kids stocks a stupendously beautiful, colourful array of quality clothing for children from newborn through to 8 years, and a well-thought selection of toys and accessories.

Brands include Bacche (organic cotton of the finest quality), Baobab (one of my favourite Australian labels), b.box (so clever!), Bebe by Minihaha, Minihaha, WOOF!, Books To Wear, Bright Bots, Brio (they are stocking the Brio mini Dachshund – yay! We call ours ‘Dashy’!), Comfy PC, Cotton Kids (organic cotton), Cozibug, Cozyosko, Ecoboo (organic cotton), 5 star, baby!, Gaia Organic Cotton, Gund, Honeysticks Crayons (non-toxic, sweet smelling quality crayons), Itzy Ritzy (a celebrity favourite, and now Aussie mums and dads can say farewell to prosaic car seat covers too!), Leg Huggers, Little Amigos (the best knitwear out), Marquise, Mamas and Papas, Max and Tilly, Meccano, Merino Kids, Minymo and Tiny Minymo (fantastic colour combinations, and your eyes will pop at the pricetags: so affordable!), Mobilo, Old Soles (cool-as Melbourne-made shoes), Piccalilly (organic cotton), Pink Chicken, Play-doh, Purebaby (organic cotton), Toetum and Yunginz. Coming soon are In The Round, Eternal Creation, Plum, Ohme Ohmi and Uttam.

Babies and Kids is run by husband and wife team Heather and Raj Saxena. Raj is no silent partner – he is involved in the buying so there is ‘daddy approval’ rating on all stock. Son Neal also helps out; look out for him on the Babies and Kids homepage.

To welcome you to the Babies and Kids experience, Heather and Raj are giving KidStyleFile readers 10% off storewide, including sale stock, until 31 August 2009. Enter discount code: ‘ksfbabies’ at checkout to redeem. Orders over $50 will also receive free postage until 31 October 2009. Babies and Kids will also gift wrap your order for free! I also highly recommend that you stop by Babies & Kids’ stacked sale section: there are impressive bargains to be found there, and the 10% discount applies to this section too.

My hot picks for boys at Babies and Kids:

A. CoZibug eco-Cozi Pram Blanket ‘Orbit’ – $64.95 less 10% discount = $58.45
B. Bacche Organic Cotton All-over Rhino Print Tee (6mths-6yrs) – $39.95 less 10% discount = $35.95
C. Piccalilly Organic Cotton Camper Van Top (6mths-3yrs) – $32.95 less 10% discount = $29.65
D. Minymo Stripe Jacket (9mths-4yrs) – $57.95 $49.50 less 10% discount = $44.55
E. Tiny Minyo Bunnies Onesie – $15.95 less 10% discount = $14.35
F. Old Soles Street Show, Red – $49.95 less 10% discount = $44.95
G. Minyo Dylan Fleece Jacket (3-4yrs) – $44.95 less 10% discount = $40.45
H. Honeysticks Crayons – $12.50 less 10% discount = $11.25
I. Minyo Dylan Jean (2-4yrs) – $61.95 less 10% discount = $55.75

My hot picks for boys at Babies and Kids:

A. Pink Chicken New York Dress Rebecca Dress in Pink colourway (also available in green colourway – 12mths-6yrs) – $88.95 less 10% discount = $80.05
B. Bacche Organic Cotton Eggplant Elephant Tee (6mths-6yrs) – $34.95 less 10% discount = $31.45
C. Minymo Daisy Print Dress (12mths-2yrs) – $39.95 less 10% discount = $35.95
D. 5 Star, Baby! Babyushka Denim Skirt (4-8yrs) – $49.95 less 10% discount = $44.95
E. Minymo Pink/Lime Tights – $9.95 less 10% discount = $8.95
F. Tiny Minymo Bunnies Bibs – $12.95 each less 10% discount = $11.65 each
G. Itzy Ritzy Reversible Car Seat Cover - $149.95 less 10% discount = $134.95

Babies and Kids charge $7.65 flat fee Express Post delivery Australia wide. Orders over $100 are shipped free. International orders are welcome: delivey charges are $15 to New Zealand, and $20 to the rest of the world. Click here for full postage and delivery information.

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Tiny Steps – www.tinysteps.com.au – is ONE YEAR OLD!  Hip hip hooraaaaay!!!

I’m fairly well known for my kids’ shoe fetish by now, and Fiona at Tiny Steps has been just a bit too helpful in facilitating my addiction.  You see, she stocks the best of the best in shoes for under-twos – absolutely brilliant given how hard it normally is to find good shoes for toddlers as anyone with a little one will know.

A lot of vitally important foot development goes in in the early years, and that’s why I am willing to go out of my way to make sure my kids only wear quality footwear, shoes which won’t muck around with their tootsies.  The great thing about Tiny Steps, though, is that I don’t have to go out of my way – Fiona is a dream to deal with as far as customer service goes (I’m a repeat customer; take it from me) and she is careful to only stock brands which are good for little feet. Makes for an incredibly easy, fun shopping experience, vastly preferable to trying to go shoe shopping with a toddler!

The new brands at Tiny Steps are just too cute and I can’t wait to try them out.  Have a look at Rileyroos, a US brand, for a combination of European design inspiration and American toughness.  I absolutely adore their MJs in tweed (no. 11 below), and the Kane boots for boys (no. 4) are fab – it’s hard to find decent boots for little boys, so I’m especially pleased to see these!

Old Soles is another great new brand in store.  Designed by Australian Vicki Lever, the shoes come with a leather sole in the pre-walker sizes – we all know by now that leather soles are great for babies when barefoot isn’t an option – while the ‘first steps’ sizes for new walkers have a non-slip sole.  They’re also gorgeous to look at: the jogger styles for boys are trendy and practical, and the cowboy-tipped MJs for girls are seriously cool.

Now because of the first birthday celebrations, Fiona has generously decided to give KidStyleFile readers a hefty 20% discount store-wide, including sale items!!  Enter ‘WEAREONE’ at checkout to redeem; code expires 30 June 2009.

My credit card won’t thank you, Fiona, but I certainly do!!

The prices below include the KSF 20% discount. Enter ‘WEAREONE’ at checkout. Code expires 30 June 2009.

1. Old Soles Hip Hop Jogger, $49.95 $39.96
2. Old Soles St Tropez – Pink, $49.95 $39.96
3. Bibi Sneakers – Pistachio, $56.95 $45.56
4. Rileyroos Kane Bark, $54.95 $43.96
5. Old Soles Cowboy Toe Tip – Black/Silver, $49.95 $39.96
6. Rileyroos Mary Jane Sassy, $49.95 $39.96
7. Sweet Shoes Blue & Lime Dandelion, $35.95 $32.95 $26.36
8. Rileyroos Sportie Tiger, $49.95 $39.96
9. Sweet Shoes Skulls – Natural, $33.95 $27.16 (also available in black, as worn by Shiloh Jolie-Pitt)
10. Old Soles Urban Jogger – Navy/Red, $49.95 $39.96
11. Rileyroos Mary Jane – Tweed, $49.95 $39.96

In addition to the wonderful brands already mentioned, Tiny Steps stock Pediped, Pedoodles, shooshoos, Sweet Shoes, diddledumpling, Bibi, Annabel Tends, 2feettall, Blabla, Kinder Clobber and SKEANIE shoes.

Tiny Steps post within Australia for a flat rate of $7.50 for Express Post, or $8.50 for Registered Post, while orders over $150 are posted free of charge. International orders are welcomed. Contact Fiona for a postage quote.