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In the market for premium quality pram, nursery furniture, baby bag, cot, bedding, gift and toy brands? Go no further than the enormous range available at Minimee – www.minimee.com.au. Minimee’s everyday prices are always at least 7.5% below RRP, but at the moment the savings are even bigger, thanks to the Minimee mid year sale happening right now and running through until 30 June 2010.

Here’s what you’ll find when you click over to Minimee:

• 30% off selected linen sets
• 25% off clothing and apparel
• 20% off toys
• 10-15% off cots and furniture
• 15% off car seats
• Up to 20% off selected prams
• 10% off all pram accessories

On another note, the phil&teds Smart Stroller we saw at the Harrogate Trade Fair in London in April is also now available to purchase at Minimee for $279.95. Until 10 July 2010, KidStyleFile readers who purchase the ‘Smart’ from Minimee will receive a free matching storm cover (worth $29.95) FREE of charge. Enter ‘KSF’ in the comments field at checkout to redeem.

Minimeee stock from the following range of brands: Angelcare baby monitors, Baby Bjorn baby carriers, BabyLove car seats, Bebe Jou baths, Brainy Baby CDs & DVDs, Bugaboo prams & strollers, Bugaboo Accessories, Combi prams & strollers, Emmaljunga prams, Eurotrike kids bikes, Grotime cots, cradles & change tables, Grobag baby sleeping bags, Infantino toys, K’s Kids dolls, Kaloo plush toys, Kate Finn dolls, Kids Line linen, Kinderkot travel cot, KingParrot cots, bassinets change tables, Levi’s Kids clothing, Lamaze toys, Leander cost and bassinets, mamas&papas plush toys, Merino Kids sleeping bags, Mountain Buggy prams & strollers, Oi Oi baby nappy bags, Peg Perego prams & strollers, Stokke prams, cots & high chairs, phil&teds prams and strollers, Quinny prams & strollers, Seed Organic bassinet, Silver Cross prams & strollers, Storksak baby nappy bags, and Valco prams & strollers.

Minimee shipping charges are calculated based on weight. For full information click here.

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Chances are, if you have a baby you either own or need a travel cot.  Whether it be an intrepid camping expedition, a couple of weeks in Europe, or an overnight at Grandma’s, travel cots make life with a baby so much easier.

If you’re in the market for one, here’s a brief list of the key features to look for:

• It should be lightweight enough for you to easily carry – and if you’re going to be flying with it, the lighter it is, the more room you have for shopping at your destination!
• It should collapse down to be as compact as possible – you don’t want it to take up the entire boot of your car.
• It should be easy to assemble and dissemble – make sure that one person on their own can easily do it.
• It should come with a comfy mattress, but not a bulky one. There’s a fine line here!

Below are four travel cots that we at KidStyleFile can wholeheartedly recommend, and that tick all the above boxes.

1. The Phil&Teds Traveller: Yes, it’s lightweight (2.5kgs excluding the mattress), and yes it’s portable (all packed up, it will fit in the parcel tray of your P&T buggy or an overhead baggage locker). It goes together a bit like a tent, so if you can assemble a basic tent then you’ll find this a piece of cake. The top of the cot can be enclosed by zipping up the mesh cover, and the side mesh panel can be unzipped so that you can access the baby that way. The mattress is self-inflating and thermally insulating – although it’s thin, it’s actually very comfy. The cot is 130cms long, so you’ll get several years of use out of it.

2. KinderKot makes an excellent little travel cot.  It weighs 3kgs including the mattress and it packs down to be only 45cms x 15cms making it the most compact of the four.  It also has a self-inflating mattress, zippable mesh panels, a ‘windscreen’ and comes complete with a washable sleeping bag.  The fabric of the cot is 50% UV resistant and fire retardant, and at 136cms long the cot can fit children up to four years old.

3. Baby Björn Travel Cot Light weighs in at 5kgs and has an extraordinarily easy set up – just one movement!  The fabric is soft and cosy, the mattress is thick and cotton, and the mattress cover and cot fabric is all machine washable.  The mattress cover and all the bits that come into contact with the child are Oeko-Tex approved, so you can be sure of no nasty substances in there.  The cot is about 110cms long so it will take children up to about three years old.

4. It hasn’t landed in Australia yet, but keep an eye out for it soon.  The Samsonite Sun & Sleep Pop-Up Travel Bubble Cot is a new product on the European market and it’s proving to be extremely popular.  The smallest and lightest of all the cots featured today, it weighs less than 3kgs including the padded mattress, and at 110cms long it claims to be suitable for children aged 6-24 months.  The breathable fabric panels offer 93% UVA and UVB sun protection, and the zip-up blackout panels make daytime napping easier.

From top to bottom:

• Phil&Teds Traveller $199.95 $184.95 at Minimee
• KinderKot $159.00 at Urban Baby
• BabyBjörn Travel Cot Light $395.00 at Babies Galore
• Samonsonite Bubble Travel Cot – currently not available within Australia. Retailing in the UK for £75.00 (approx. AUD$150.00) – we’ll let you know as soon as it hits our shores.

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!

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Following on from yesterday’s Part 1 coverage of the Harrogate Nursery Fair UK 2010, today I bring you my top three highchairs from the show. Although there were dozens on display – I lost count after 47 different models – the three below really stood out for me for their innovation, practicality and looks.

Considerations for me were safety features, ease of cleaning, comfort for the child, convenience for the parent, and attractive design.  The three below have all of these attributes in spades.

Stay tuned for part 3 of my coverage, coming tomorrow.

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Concord Spin

German brand Concord leads the way when it comes to products created with both function and design in mind. Their Spin Highchair is an excellent example of this – it’s been reduced to the basics (don’t worry, it still has all the safety features including a 3-point harness) and is the most compact high chair in the world.  A few steps folds it down to an astonishingly small size, and the aluminium frame makes it very light to carry.  It can be adjusted to four different heights and comes in four different colourways.

At present there are no Australian stockists, but we hope that will change soon – we’ll keep you posted.  The Concord Spin retails in the UK for £129.00.

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Zoobie Jigsaw

Zoobie’s Jigsaw highchair certainly is a looker, but it has the brains to match up to its beauty too.  It is fully height adjustable, rotates 360 degrees, has a five-point saftey harness and the padded liner is easy to remove and machine washable.  Best of all, it has a removable tray which, when combined with the X shaped base design and 360 degree rotation, means that the highchair can be pushed right up to the table without interfering with the table legs.  The tray also has a dishwasher-proof insert to really make the parents’ lives easier.  The construction is very high quality, and the chair is offered in a range of colours and finishes to tie in with many different home decor styles.

Zoobie sell the Jigsaw through their site for £250.00, and shipping to Australia is a very reasonable £54.95.  At current exchange rates, this means an Australian customer can get their hands on a Jigsaw for around AUD$505.00 including shipping!

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Phil & Teds Highpod

Yesterday we saw the new stroller from Kiwi design powerhouse Phil & Teds, and today I bring you the Highpod which is a reclining high chair suitable even for newborns (it’s safety certified in all three reclining and upright positions). The food tray is adjustable to match the seat angle, and has some excellent accessories on offer including a supersized meal tray.  Its best feature is the aerocore™ seat insert (it’s the same stuff that the Smart stroller’s seat is made from), which is waterproof, wipe clean, non-slip, hypoallergenic, odour resistant, and nicely squidgy for the baby’s comfort.

The P&T Highpod is available in Australia from Minimee for $349.95 including free accessories.

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Please see individual sites for shipping details.

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On the weekend of 28-30 March 2010, I attended the 41st Harrogate Nursery Fair, the UK’s leading trade shows for nursery, baby and child products. A huge affair with 198 exhibitors spread over six halls, the biggest and brightest of the nursery industry were all in attendance, from some of the biggest names in the world (Quinny, Britax, Silver Cross etc) to lesser known, design-led brands such as  Zoobie and babycotpod.  Plenty of KSF favourites were present too, like ERGObaby, Trunki and Storksak, and it was fantastic to chat to the reps to see what new and exciting products are coming out this year.

The fair caters to buyers from UK baby stores, both smaller independent stores and large chains.  A ‘trade only’ event, it’s not open to the public so only exhibitors, buyers, media and other industry professionals are permitted entry.

There were a huge number of prams and strollers on display, from many top manufacturers including Silver Cross, Teutonia, Quinny, LeeBruss, Phil&Teds, Chicco, iCandy and many more.  I spent a good portion of my time at the fair ‘test driving’ various prams and strollers, and below are the three which to me were just outstanding.  I evaluated the prams on how well they ‘drove’, ease of folding and how compact the fold was, comfort for the child, whether it could take a newborn, what accessories were available and, of course, looks.

Enjoy, and stay tuned for more coverage coming over the next two days.

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Phil&Teds Smart Stroller

They might have once been known almost entirely for their iconic double buggy system, but Phil&Teds are really surging to the forefront of southern hemisphere design-led baby equipment. Their newest stroller, the Smart, created a real buzz at Harrogate so it was lucky that they had several on display for interested people to play with.  I spent a good half hour trying the Smart out, and was impressed enough that I’ll be first in line when they’re released.

As a lightweight stroller it ticks all the boxes: comes with a comfy aerocore™ seat or optional Peanut bassinet making it suitable for newborns, weighs 7kgs with the seat (8kgs with the bassinet) so nice and light, can take a car capsule making it a travel system, great rear suspension, steers well, good sized basket which is nicely accessible and it has a very compact and easy fold.  The seat does recline, albeit only slightly, and it will carry a child of up to 20kgs, which is high for a lightweight stroller so you should get many years of use out of one of these.  The Smart is due for worldwide release in the next six weeks, and although its Australian RRP hasn’t yet been released, it’s expected to be under $300. This is definitely one to watch.

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Silver Cross Surf

They are the possibly the most famous pram brand in the world, and for good reason: Silver Cross get it right time after time, with their newest ‘baby’, the Surf, about to make a splash with its worldwide release. A pram system designed for newborns up, it combines good looks with all the features that today’s parents are looking for. For starters, although a bassinet will be available as an option, the inclusion of a wedge-shaped newborn insert means that the pram seat is suitable straight out of the box for newborn babies – a fantastic cost saving mechanism. The seat is reversible, it has a compact two piece fold, and and although a small basket is part of the pram, a much larger one is available as an added option. The pram comes in seven colourways, including some fabulously bright ones and some a bit more understated (I loved the Linen, bottom left in the image above).

Although official pricing hasn’t yet been released for the Australian market, I have it on good authority that it will be markedly less than other prams with similar features. It’s scheduled for release down here in June ’10.

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Quinny Senzz

Wanting to create a stroller with more features than their hugely popular but very basic Zapp, Quinny have come up with the Senzz.  It weighs more at a bit under 8.5kgs but can recline, and it has an excellent storage basket (not pictured above) which is a design feature in itself – the fabric is a metallic basket weave and extremely striking.  The fold is very compact and it’s designed to be easily carried with one hand when folded.  Steering is easy, even one handed, and the hood creates a surprising amount of shade.  It comes with adaptors to take a Maxi Cosi car seat (not yet available on the Australian market but watch this space) making it a compact travel system too. The five colourways are bright and cheerful, and nicely jazz up the dove grey exterior.

An Australian release hasn’t been scheduled yet for the Senzz, but in the meantime you can get it from www.babycare.nl who stock it for €289.00 and will ship it to Australia for €70.00.  This brings the total cost for Australian customers to around AUD$529.00 at current exchange rates.

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Please check individual sites for shipping conditions and rates.

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When getting set up for baby, and especially when out shopping for larger scale nursery items; it really does pay to shop around. Topping the list of spots to shop for premium quality pram, nursery furniture, baby bag, cot, bedding, gift and toy brands and and an enormous range – all at least 7.5% below rrp – is Minimee – www.minimee.com.au.

Featured today are just a few of the ‘must have items’ when getting set up for baby. The Leander Cradle is so beautiful you’ll be keeping it to hand down to your baby’s babies. A cot like the I think Grotime Saturn Cot is a great choice when buying a cot so that can be versatile for years to come.  A pram? Well a girl simply must have a good set of wheels! With two babies only 15 months apart I can tell you that the Sports edition phil & teds, as pictured below, seriously rescued my life. A great baby bag to keep you and all your baby bits together for life on the go – and if you have any traveling to do, I can personally recommend the KinderKot as a top travelling choice.

For those located in Sydney, and hanging out for the new Mamas & Papas prams the Mylo and Urbo, due to arrive in Australia in May, you can register for the Minimee in-store VIP viewing night which will happen on 8 April 2010.  This VIP night ensures you eyes will be some of the first to lay a hold of them! It will be a special night with in store sale offers and layby options available . As in invite only event: see here on how to get yourself on the invite list for this exclusive soiree!

1. Grotime Saturn Cot / Bed: 4 IN 1 cot/bed Rrp: $739.00 $683.58
2. Little Bamboo Cellular Blanket Rrp: $49.95 $46.20
3. Bumbo Baby Seat with Tray Rrp: $99.95 $92.45
4. KinderKot – Red Rrp: $149.95 $138.70
5. Vulli Sophie the Giraffe teether Rrp: $36.95 $34.18
6. Mamas & Papas Pulse Stroller in Black Rrp: $299.95 $239.95
7. Mamas & Papas Made With Love Playmat & Gym Rrp: $169.90 $157.20
8. Leander Cradle with mattress Rrp: $369.95 $342.20
9. Storksak Mia – Black Patent Bag Rrp:$199.95 $184.95
10. Sport phil & teds (Colour Red/Charcoal) Rrp: $599.00 $554.07

Minimeee stock from the following range of brands: Angelcare baby monitors, Baby Bjorn baby carriers, BabyLove car seats, Bebe Jou baths, Brainy Baby CDs & DVDs, Bugaboo prams & strollers, Bugaboo Accessories, Combi prams & strollers, Emmaljunga prams, Eurotrike kids bikes, Grotime cots, cradles & change tables, Grobag baby sleeping bags, Infantino toys, K’s Kids dolls, Kaloo plush toys, Kate Finn dolls, Kids Line linen, Kinderkot travel cot, KingParrot cots, bassinets change tables, Levi’s Kids clothing, Lamaze toys, Leander cost and bassinets, mamas&papas plush toys, Merino Kids sleeping bags, Mountain Buggy prams & strollers, Oi Oi baby nappy bags, Peg Perego prams & strollers, Stokke prams, cots & high chairs, phil&teds prams and strollers, Quinny prams & strollers, Seed Organic bassinet, Silver Cross prams & strollers, Storksak baby nappy bags, and Valco prams & strollers.

Minimee shipping charges are calculated based on weight. For full information click here.

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Looking for Leander, Stokke, Storksak, Silver Cross, Baby Bjorn Active Carrier, Bugaboo, Mamas & Papas, Grobag, Mountain Buggy or Phil & Teds on the cheap?  Look no further!

Minimee – www.minimee.com.au – do below rrp prices on top-brand prams, furniture, baby bags, feeding and eating related products, cots, bedding, gifts, homewares and toys every day of the week, so it’s always worth shopping there, but right now it’s practically obligatory: you can save 15%-50% on *everything* in store!!!

Clap your eyes on some of the best baby and kids brands in the land, and save a nice wad of cash on Angelcare baby monitors, Baby Bjorn baby carriers, BabyLove car seats, Bebe Jou baths, Brainy Baby CDs & DVDs, Bugaboo prams & strollers, Bugaboo Accessories, Combi prams & strollers, Emmaljunga prams, Eurotrike kids bikes, Grotime cots, cradles & change tables, Grobag baby sleeping bags, Infantino toys, K’s Kids dolls, Kaloo plush toys, Kate Finn dolls, Kids Line linen, Kinderkot travel cot, KingParrot cots, bassinets change tables, Levi’s Kids clothing, Lamaze toys, Leander cost and bassinets, mamas&papas plush toys, Merino Kids sleeping bags, Mountain Buggy prams & strollers, Oi Oi baby nappy bags, Peg Perego prams & strollers, Stokke prams, cots & high chairs, phil&teds prams and strollers, Quinny prams & strollers, Seed Organic bassinet, Silver Cross prams & strollers, Storksak baby nappy bags, and Valco prams & strollers.

Don’t hang around, make your move now!

Minimee ship for very reasonable charges. Read the full details here.

This weekend, Miki brings you a fine selection of prams of strollers to drool over. The form of these baby-movers is just stunning, and their functionality is optimal. Just what every busy Mum needs in her life

Next weekend: Pram Accessories (including Bags!! Yay!)

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Silver Cross Dazzle

*The* name in prams is, and has always been, Silver Cross – www.silvercross.com.au. If it’s good enough for several generations of the British Royal family then it’s likely good enough for your precious bub!

Silver Cross have really updated in the last few years. Their latest model, the lightweight Dazzle stroller, is an iconic design – fresh, stark and simply beautiful. This is a stroller that really will become a modern classic.

I’m not lucky enough to have one of these (although I’d dearly love one!) but I’m told by people who do own a Dazzle that the build quality is second to none, and they love all the extra little features that come with it: the big viewing window in the hood which is held in place with magnets, the seat that lies almost flat so even the youngest baby can lie in it comfortably (there is also an optional carrycot), the hidden shopping basket, the suspension and foam-filled wheels giving the lucky kid inside a smooth ride, it’s light weight (only 7kgs), the five spectacular colours it’s available in… I’d better stop before I start dribbling.

The Dazzle comes with a ventilated rain cover too – that’s the last time you’ll have to take your raincoat off so the child doesn’t get wet!

The best price for the Dazzle that I’ve found online is from Nought 2 Five – www.nought2five.com. They have the Dazzle stroller for $395 in all colours, or $599 for the stroller and carrycot set. Have a browse around Nought 2 Five while you’re there, it’s gorgeous!

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Stokke Xplory

Another modern classic: the Stokke Xplory – www.stokke.com/en%2Dau/.

This pram made such a splash when it was launched in 2003! The world had never seen anything like it, and they still haven’t because the Xplory is simply in a class of its own. Designed for modern, urban parents, the Xplory motto is ‘higher is better’, and when you look at the pram you can see why.

The central ‘spine’ allows for height adjustability and for the seat to face forwards or back towards you. The extra height means that when walking you are closer to the baby in the seat, which aids eye contact and interaction between parent and child.

And the battle to get a highchair in a crowded cafe? Never again – the Xplory’s height means it can be wheeled right up to the table just as it is.

As you’d expect from Stokke, the quality is extraordinary; in fact, the aluminium and polymer structure is built to the same standards as automobiles and aircraft!

The seat and carrycot are interchangeable which makes this pram perfect from the earliest days of infancy right through toddler-dom.

Stokke are currently running a competition to win a Stokke Xplory: enter here.

The best online price that I can find in Australia is at Bebe Online www.bebeonline.com.au – it’s retailing there for $1499.00, with the bassinet as optional retailing for $439.00. Orders over $100.00 are delivered free! Otherwise if you want the pram-and-bassinet package, the best price is $1899.00 at Babies Galore – www.babiesgalore.com.au.

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Phil & Teds Classic, Sport, Dash and Vibe buggies

LOVE my Phil & Teds – www.philandteds.com – Sport Buggy. It was a present from my beloved aunty when my little boy arrived, and so far it’s taken everything I’ve thrown at it without batting an eyelash. It’s rugged enough for walking all over the grandparents’ country property, it walks daily along the beach with no signs of wear despite all the salt and sand. It’s lightweight enough (11kgs) to throw in the boot for quick shopping trips and it even looks good enough for promenading up and down the city high street!

It has a whole swag of cool features (the big shopping basket, the adjustable handle, the nifty pouch in the canopy (I keep my phone and my shopping list in there), the great colours available. And then there’s the ingenious doubles kit, available for all P&T single prams, which quickly and cheaply converts your single pram into one which can take a toddler and a baby or two toddlers! There just isn’t another pram around which can match the P&T for flexibility, particularly if you have two kids or think you might at some point.

I’m not the only one who loves it – I’m in great company with Holly Hunter and Brooke Shields, to name but a couple of my fellow P&T fans

Earlier this year P&T released three new models: the Classic, the Dash and the Vibe. These are already proving to be just as popular as the Sport buggy!

Clockwise from left:
Sport Buggy, $699.95 $595.95
Vibe buggy, $1130.00 $899.95
Dash buggy, $859.95 $749.95
Classic buggy – currently sold out in Australia, shows you how popular it is! But I’m sure it will be back soon.

2 Cute 4 Kids - www.2cute4kids.com.au – have the best prices on the P&Ts that I’ve seen in Australia and what’s more, they make these prices even more attractive by including a FREE doubles kit – or if you don’t want the doubles kit, take a further $50 off the price!

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But wait, there’s more!

If none of the prams I’ve shown so far has rocked your boat, then you’d better go and have a look around at 
Minimee – www.minimee.com.au.

These guys carry some of the top names in prams – Mountain Buggy, Emmaljunga and Bugaboo, among others – at fantastic discounted prices.

These are my picks:

Clockwise from top left:
Emmaljunga Duo Combi – Edge $1299.95 $1202.45
Mountain Buggy Urban Elite Single $869.95 $804.70
Bugaboo Cameleon $1599 $1499
Mountain Buggy Urban Double, $1199.95 $1109.95 (Angela had one of these for her girls and loved it!)

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As a final note, if you’re looking for more info about prams & strollers then go to www.strollersandprams.com.

There are reviews on every pram you’ve ever heard of (and plenty you haven’t), and if you still can’t the answers to your questions then join the S&P forums. As I’ve discovered while researching this week, the members are friendly and helpful and if there’s anything they don’t know about prams (which I doubt) then it’s not worth knowing!