KidStyleFile

Today’s post written by Miki

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Dinner time is a funny thing with very young children, isn’t it?  It can be an absolute delight with giggles and stories, gobbling down delicious food – or it can be one of those times where the food hits the wall and you want to tear your hair out.

I can’t guarantee that any of the fabulous plates, bowls and cutlery below will fix that problem, but surely anything that distracts the kids is a good thing!  And this crockery is all so gorgeous that it will make the most hastily thrown together meal look like it came from a Michelin-starred kitchen.

The first collection here is for babies and young toddlers, right from when they are starting solids to when they are learning to feed themselves with a spoon and fork.  Look for simple, eye-catching designs and nothing that’s too hard to clean!  Trust me, you’ll end up with mashed pumpkin everywhere…

These are some of my faves:

1. Babymoov HIPPO Childrens Cup, $23.95  $19.16; Babymoov HIPPO Childrens Bowl & Lid, $23.95  $19.16; Babymoov HIPPO Plate, Lid & Spoon, $28.00  $22.40; all at Metro Mum
2. Boon Catch Bowl, $14.95; Boon Benders Adaptable Utensils, $9.95; both at Bubba Funk
3. Airfork One, $15.95 from Baby’s Got Style
4. Annabel Karmel Large Bowl Set, $18.50 from Baby’s Got Style
5. Funny Duck Plate, $7.50; Funny Frog Plate, $7.50; both from Baby’s Got Style

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Next we come to older toddlers and pre-schoolers, and even young school-aged kids, who are learning to use a knife and fork and enjoy eating ‘adult’ food.  Keep an eye out for tough, strong products, and if they look great then all the better!  Here are some of the best:

1. Boon Modware Toddler Utensils, $9.95; Boon Groovy Interlocking Plate & Bowl Set, $24.95; both from Bubba Funk
2. Dwink Box in Blue and Orange, $9.95  $8.95 each; from Ekidna Kids
3. Mother Hen Spotty Three Piece Meal Set, $16.95; from Chic Kids
4. Tommee Tippee Snack ‘n’ Straw Cup in Blue, Pink and Yellow, $13.95 each; from Baby’s Got Style
5. Mother Hen Rainbow Cutlery Set, $11.50; from Chic Kids
6. Assorted French Bull Plates & Cups, from $9.95 at The Hip Infant

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Last of all I wanted to show you some gift sets.  I recommend always having a funky dinner set in the present drawer as they make great gifts!  Also consider giving one to your kid/s as a reward for special achievements – learning to use a knife and fork correctly, for example, or mastering dinner table manners (and if you achieve this one, tell me how!).  Each mealtime with the special new dinner set will be a reminder of the child’s achievement and will make them feel special all over again!

1. Go Home Food Face Meal Set, $19.95; and Go Home Food Face Meal Set – Fruits & Veges, $19.95; both from My Messy Room
2. Monsieur & Madame Zio Six Piece Melamine Dinner Sets, $49.95 per set; from Urban Baby
3. Crocodile Creek Garden Meal Gift Set, and Crocodile Creek Dinosaur Meal Gift Set, both $39.95 from Chic Kids
4. Mini Rhubarb Sailor Sam Three Piece Dinner Set, $19.95; and Sailor Sam Cutlery, $12.95; and Mini Rhubarb Annie Apple Three Piece Dinner Set, $19.95 and Annie Apple Cutlery, $12.95; all from The Infant Boutique

I’d love to be able to show you aaaaalll my favourites but that could take several pages.  Here are a few more options for you that deserve a mention:

• Shop Until currently have cat-themed meal set from French Bull on sale reduced from $39.95 to just $15.00. Bar-gain!!

• Urban Baby for their amazing selection of cutlery – no, seriously! Check out their range!!

• IKEA, who have the coolest and cheapest feeding accessories around (plus I can’t recommend their Antilop highchair highly enough!)

Please check individual sites for shipping details.  Also check the KidStyleFile ‘All Current Deals’ page to see if you qualify for any special discounts at the stores above.

Today’s post brought to you by Miki.

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It’s the time of year again when everyone who has to buy a Christmas gift for a small child – whether their own children or someone elses – starts scratching their heads and wondering what would be appropriate.

With this in mind, I’ve put together a gift guide for babies to preschoolers at one of my favourite online stores, The Hip Infant - www.thehipinfant.com.au, purveyors of the finest clothing, toys and accessories for babies and kids from birth to 2 years.

Without further ado, here are my hot picks for you!

For babies (up to 12 months of age), I recommend the Alimrose handsqueekers which come in all sorts of different designs and make the cutest noises when squeezed.  They’re also very sensitive so the tiniest baby fist can get a sound out of them.

THI also has an excellent range of wooden toys, rattles and pram strings which go down a treat – I love wooden toys, they’re classy and last forever.

If you want to give clothes, I personally love gifting The Hip Infant basics range, which is affordable, stylish and excellent quality.

On to the toddlers now. From here I’ve done gender-specific gift suggestions, but it goes without saying that they’ll work just as well for the opposite gender if you simply choose a different colour or design.

Toddler girls will love the range of soft toys, especially those from Alimrose and BlaBla which are incredibly sweet and whimsical. You could also give her a lamp for her room, as it’s possible by this stage that she’s spooked by the dark.  The soft glow of a night light can be very comforting, and these ones look great as well!

My favourite idea for toddler boys is to get a funky little bag such as a Tiger Tribe drawstring bag, and fill it with board books.

Toddlers are often very proud of being able to feed themselves, so a funky dinner set (I love French Bull robots and monsters) is another idea.

Preschoolers looooove water play (don’t we all!) so I think bath toys are a great way to go here. THI has a big range of Alex Toys and Bud Luxury Ducks so there’s plenty to choose from.

Most bath toys are fairly unisex, but if you want to go gender specific then girls will love the Alex Toys Princess In The Tub set while boys are likely to shun that in favour of the Alex Toys Shaving In The Tub set – he can shave just like Daddy!  Why not make up a lovely gift package by adding a funky Annabel Trends bath cap to the bundle?

More ideas for preschoolers are to make up a parcel including a Hip Stuff Wooden Hairbrush and a selection of JewelQueen hair clips for a little girl, and the For Walls chalkboard robot or truck for a boy – as they’re designed to be safely removed and repositioned on walls, you (or his parents) will love them!

To give you the added incentive (as if you need it!) to snap swome goodies up for Christmas, Mel at The Hip Infant is offering KidStyleFile readers 15% off store-wide… but only for 48 hours! So get moving NOW as the discount ends at 9am on the 4th of November.  Enter code ‘KSF1′ at checkout to redeem.

From top left in rows:

Dicounted prices quoted are after the 15% discount has been calculated. This offer is applicable until 9am November 4, 2008 only, so get your skates on!

Fiesta Crafts Jungle Bowling, $49.95 $42.45
Eyetribe Sunnies Squids Turquoise, $39.95 33.95
Alimrose Pram Tie – Bumblebee Navy/Red, $39.95 33.95
Hip Stuff Wooden Hairbrush – Pink Hearts, $5.50 $4.67
Tiger Tribe Drawstring Bag – Wheels, $17.95 $15.25
Alex Toys Shaving In The Tub, $19.95 $16.95
Elegant Baby Bath Duck – Aqua Stripes, $9.95 $8.45
Flip A Shape – Yum! $13.95 $11.85
Elegant Baby Bath Duck – Polka Dot Orange, $9.95 $8.45
Alex Toys Dirty Pigs, $14.95 $12.70
Alimrose Doll Rattle – Delores, $29.95 $25.45
What’s That Noise? by Sally Rippin, $10.95 $9.30
Jewel Queen Hair Clip – Pink Cherries, $4.95 $4.20
Jewel Queen Hair Clip – Red Spot Bow, $5.95 $5.05

The Hip Infant stocks a huge range of designers including AKA Pipik, Albetta, Alex Toys, Alimrose Designs, Anna & Sally, Annabel Trends, Anne Claire Petit, Baby Einstein, Baby Legs, Babylicious, Benny Boy, Bical, BlaBla, Blink Designs, BUD, Built NY, Bump Buddy, Cheeky Monkey, Christmas Ideas, Coco & Eli, Cuddlefish, David Fussenegger, DiddleDumpling, Dirty Laundry, Elodie Details, Eyetribe, Fiesta Crafts, Flensted Mobiles, Fleurville, For Walls, For Windows, French Bull, Gertie and Me, Go_Home JNR, Green To Grow, Haba, Heimess, Hip Stuff, ID Tee, Inch Blue, Infancy, Jazzy Toes, JellyCats, JewelQueen, Kathe Kruse, Keptin Jr, Kid Squidgy, Kiddopotamus, Kipiis, Lima Bean, Limo Basics, Little Chipipi, Little Einsteins, Little Joey, Little Twig, Liz Knits, Milestone Press, Mill & Mia, Mini Glow, Mitty James, Mon Ange, Moppit, Mum To Mum, My Child, Oeuf NYC, OUCH, Peanut Shell, Present Time, Pure Baby, Rockabye Baby, Rondeau Industries, Rush, Sigikid, Simple Gorgeous Storage, Skip HOP, Smirk Kids, Snugglebum, Snugzeez, Teeny Me, Tiger Tribe, Tippy Toes, Toys Pure, Trunki, Vessel, Wall Candy Arts, WalRUs, and Wee Gallery.

The Hip Infant charge $7.50 postage Australia-wide.  All orders are shipped via Courier or Express Post.

Oh-boy-oh boy oh GIRL, you are in for so much fun today!

These three little words will just have you kicking your heels up, and thanking goodness it is Monday: The Infant Boutique – www.theinfantboutique.com.au.

The Infant boutique may as well be called “I love you” for all the joy Vikki and her team deliver me. Everything is so beautiful, so well considered, and makes me feel so darned good to behold it.

The Infant Boutique stock a stunning range of designer baby and kids clothes, toys, nursery furniture, baby toys, kids toys and craft packs, decor solutions, linens, baby bags, booties and shoes, stationery, gifts and more besides from around 200 premium brands.

Here’s the list so you can check their impressive credentials:

Aden and Anais, Adiri, An Angel at My Table, Anamalz, And Me Too, Annie B, ApplePie Design, Babies Only, Babu, Baby Couture, BabyLegs, Babymoov, Bajo,Bee & Tree, Bholu, BlaBla, Black & Blum, Brave New Word, Brooklan Tree, Cavania Cards, Cheeky Little Soles, Claesens, Coco & Eli, Cocoon Couture,Cuddle Fish, Cuski, Del Campo, Djeco, Dwellbaby, Earth Babies, Emu Australia, Felt Tales, Fiesta Crafts, Fish Lilly,Frankie Ray, French Bull, Gertie and Me, Giddy Giddy, Giimmo, Green to Grow, HandySitt, Happy Horse, Heimess, Herbie, I Love Mybabycino, iCandy, Imprintables, In Your Room, INKE, Isabelle Norman, IsaBooties,Isoki,Itch Design, Joanna Zhou for Mom, Karen Miles, Kids Kitchen, KinderKot, Kipiis, Kushies, Lil Fraser Collection, Lakeland Design, Lambini, Lambykins, Lark, Le Toy Van, Leander, Les Folies, Little Blue Fish, Little Chipipi, Little House, Little Kitchen, Little Pearls, Little Red Pear, Little Twig, Lorena Siminovich, Lotus Linens, Mamas & Papas, Mandalay Design, Manhattan Toy Company, Me Giant, Mi-House, Milestone Press, Mill & Mia, Mini Rhubarb, Minimink, Miriam Bereson, Momiji, Monkey-do, Moulin Roty, Mumi & Bubi, Nature Baby, Natures Child, Nice4Neez, NooNoo Design, Nurtured by Nature, Oeuf, NYC, OUCH Clothing, Pakhuis Oost, Peanut Shell, Petunia Pickle Bottom, Popover Apron, Raggidy Rag Dolls, Ramalama, Ramona Ramona, Red Plum Linen, RJSP, Room Seven, Rouge Living, Sandra Isaksson, Sandy Cousens Art, See Kai Run, Seed Organic, Sew Your Own, SIGG, Sirch, Skip Hop, Squids, Stuffit, T4Tot, Tatiri, The Grassy Garden, The Infant Boutique, The Little Experience, The Source Products, The Wall Sticker Co, Thilde, Thread Design, Tiger Tribe, Tippy Toes, Under the Nile, Usborne Books, Vessel, Vulli, WallCandy, and Wheely Bug.

There is a tonne of inspiration to be had here, but you don’t need to let it stop there: The Infant Boutique have a massive sale going on, with over 150 products discounted by up to 60%!!!

Check the Specials and Last One Left sections to discover some stylish and utterly irresistible bargains.

Also have a looky at the gorgeous new stock in-store: Earth Babies organic and eco-friendly onesies, and IsaBooties soft soled shoes (both exclusive The Infant Boutique), See Kai Run first walkers, And Me Too clothing, and Itch Design: Jodi’s summer range is her best yet.

Below take in the glory of some of some of incredible goodies on offer at sale prices (also, couldn’t resist the new Cocoon Charms, and fabric cards: too cute, and very affordable!).

Place an order at The Infant Boutique and mention the KSF Shop 4 Kids discount code in the comments section at checkout and receive a FREE gift. Offer ends October 31.

Grab a copy of Shop 4 Kids magazine to access the code, or sign up to the KSF Weekly newsletter to receive the code into your InBox tomorrow.

It is amazing how a web site can be so evocative. The Infant Boutique – www.theinfantboutique.com.au – makes me feel so unhurried, so gloriously treated, so lucky to be there, just reflecting in their blissfully understated coolness.

The Infant Boutique is a good place to visit at any time, with their exquisite range of goods from around 100 of the best designers including Babu, Bholu, Blabla, Oeuf NYC, Lambykins, Pooki & Co., Little Twig, Cocoon Culture, Giddy Giddy (one of the most comprehensive stockists of the GG clips in Australia) INKE, Kipiis, Mairo, Mamas & Papas, mill & mia, Noo Noo Design, The Source Products, Wall Candy, Wheely Bug, Wanju, Peanut Shell, Mumi & Bubi, Manhattan Toy Company, Ramalama Baby Carriers, Djeco, Cuddlefish and Dwell Baby, to name just a few.

You should get over there without delay at the moment though, because they are hosting a sale, and it is nothing sort of spectacular.

Here’s a sample of the delights in store for you:

Skip Hop Duo Baby Bag reduced by a whopping 40% only $75.00 (RRP $125+)

Libellule Dragonflight Light (in orange or blue) just $60.00 (RRP $120+, save 50%)

French Bull Cat Design Meal Set 50% off now $19.98 (RRP $39.95+)

Wooden Letters – uppercase in white and red, reduced from $9.90 to $4.95 (save 50%) LIMITED STOCK

Oobi Solar System Quilt Cover & Pillowcase set $64.95 (RRP $34.98+ save50%)

I have mentioned my Pooki & Co. fetish before, so you’ll know how excited I am about these sale items! Baby Pookis in Pablo and Lola varieties are going out at a mere $9.95 ($19.50 save 50%!) How can you resist that??! They are so cuuuuuute, but in an off-beat, intelligent kind of way, y’know? You *do* know!!

If you prefer a bigger cuddle-buddy then adopt a Pooki Plush a measly $17.48 (RRP $34.95, save 50%). You can’t even pay a parking ticket for that; so forget shopping in the city, and welcome this friend-for-life into your home instead!

The Infant Boutique charge Australia post weight rates, which are calculated at checkout. Read their FAQ for more information.