Today’s post written by Angela

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I was a bit of a tomboy as a kid, and generally didn’t care much for glitz and glamour. There was one major exception, though: I was completely enthralled by ballerinas, or should I say, their skirts. There was nothing so magical and mesmerising to me than a ballerina’s fabulous, wonderous tutus.

In the 70’s tutus were prohibitively expensive, and therefore reserved for those serious about their art. Happily, nowaways there entry points into the wonderland of tutus that look the part without breaking the bank.

With a fairy party imminent, and our baby fairy dresses now outgrown it was time to shop. My tutu criteria?

• Must be high quality so it will look good, and last well (for at least 2-3 years)
• Be easy for the girls to get on and off themselves
• Be suitable for dressups and outings
• Must be appropriately frothy and utterly fabulous
• Mustn’t require me to sell a kidney!

After an extensive browse around, I decided upon the Ellie Bellie Kids tutus brought to Australia from the USA by Metro Mum - www.metromum.com.au.

These tutus met all my requirements, plus they had the added bonus of being reversible. At $79.99 each (for size 3-6 years: size 0-2 years is $69.99) they didn’t require me to hock the house, and with my trusty KSF Shop 4 Kids MetroMum 10% discount code in hand they came in at $71.99 each - bonus! (Find the code, applicable until 4 August 2009, in the KSF Weekly Newsletter).

On arrival I was very impressed by the quality of the tutus: the tulle, of which there is 16 layers - 8 of each colourway: turn the skirt inside out to reveal a whole new skirt effect! - is soft and delicate, while holding its shape well; a sign of a quality tulle.

The fixed-size elasticised waistband is nice and wide (about 2 inches) and is cotton for comfort. The stunning conconctions are topped off with a high quality wide satin ribbon with contrasting colours on each side. The edges are heat sealed to prevent fraying.

And what do the kids (picture below) think? These comments say it all: “I love it so much I never want to take it off!” and “Look, Mum, I’m a REAL fairy!” SOLD x 2!

Metro Mum charge $7.95 postage to most areas (less if you’re in the Sydney Metro area) - check the Delivery page for full details. Orders over $200.00 are posted free of charge within Australia.

Today’s post written by Edwina

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There have been quite a few occasions when I have bought things for my boys, that they just don’t like. Don’t get me started on the dolls house, which I kept calling a toy house….anyway, it didn’t matter what I called it, because they are just not interested in it.

It happens with clothes as well. I am drawn to soft colours and images, and have to remind myself that often they like different things.

Driven by my boys, I recently took a departure from my muted colour palette preferences, and picked up some bold pieces from US label Bacche. And what a big hit! (There we literally fights over who got what!)

Bacche literally translates to “children” in Hindi, and is an American label that partners with a manufacturer in India to produce 100% certified organic ring spun cotton interlock, that has been dyed using eco-friendly, chlorine free, low toxicity dyes.

Bacche designs are strong and modern, and fuse images and colours from Indian culture with American garment design.  The colours are rich, and have glorious names such as Mud Brown, Masala Red, Saffron Orange and Granite Grey, and motifs include the Cobra, Leopard, Tiger, Camel and Rhino, with swirling flowers for girls inspired by India.

I’ve got to tell you that I am completely in love with our Bacche pieces. Here’s why:

1. My kids LOVE them!
2. The quality is amazing: organic cotton that is thick, soft, and strong
3. They are a lovely cut, and fit beautifully
4. They are well-priced and affordable
5. They support sustainable business that benefits the world around us, our children, and the workers who produce the raw materials used in their garments.

Bacche garment also come packed in the sweetest little bags, reminiscent of traditional rice bags, making them very easy to give as gifts.

The Bacche Winter 09 range is available now online at www.anklebitersduds.com.au. Anklebiters Duds specialise in eco-friendly, kid-friendly, and socially responsible products - have a good look around while you’re there; there’s lots to see!

1. Bacche Girls Long Sleeved T-Shirt - Mangrove Green Leopard $34.95
2. Bacche Boys Short Sleeved T-Shirt - Saffron Orange Bengal Tiger $32.95
3. Bacche Unisex Long Sleeved T-Shirt - Masala Red Camel $34.95
4. Bacche Boys Long Sleeved T-Shirt - Mud Brown Cobra $34.95

Anklebiters Duds postage charges are calculated at checkout based on weight. International orders are warmly welcomes. Please See the Anklebiters Duds Postage & Returns page for full details on postage and delivery.

Today’s post written by Angela

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Being a twin-mama I am always on the look out for clever products that cater for a life with more than one child. The right product can make the difference between calm organisation, and frustrating chaos.

With twins I often feel that a team of sherpas is the only solution to our gear challenges (and no doubt parents who move from one to two, or more, kids, feel the same way), but I am happy to say that I have found something that I have found the perfect DIY arrangement.

It’s the Babymel x2 bag, which is actually *two* bags which can be clipped together, or separated, as needed.

My kids may not be babies anymore, but the X2 really spoke to me. I often get indecisive about bag colour choices, but the X2 lets me have the best of both worlds: you can choose black/black or black/red. With an international trip imminent, and a new bag needed (and organisation being the key to happy travel), I was keen to give it a go, and so snapped one up (in black/red - yay!)

The X2 bags are a nice size at 26cm high,  44cm wide and 12cm deep. The exterior fabric is a soft thick matt synthetic, which holds up well under use in both the functionality and looks stakes. It is also fully wipeable in the event that you need to clean it.

It features two magnetic closure pockets on the outside face of one of the sides, and an insulated pocket at one end. Inside it features one large velcro closure pocket along one side, and two elasticised pockets on the other. The inner lining is camel coloured which makes it easy to see what you are doing.

The bags come with two of everything you need: shoulder straps with their unique innovative stroller attachments, and two change mats (which I’m thinking would also be a good surface to sit on in the event of wet grass).

The genius of these bags is the way they clip, and unclip, together easily. This is great when parents need to head off in two directions, or on days when you are taking more or less gear. For me, I use one bag for my gear, and one for the kids: no more rummaging around!!

I also really love the clips that attach the shoulder strap to the bag; they are super-easy to operate, and I find them very useful to attach shopping bags to when I need to be fully hands-free.

Although the price for the Babymel X2 is budget at $149.00 for the set of two bags, the quality has not been skimped on - Babymel is the diffusion line from Storksak after all!! Buy with confidence!

You can purchase the Babymel X2 bag direct from the Babymel website (they charge $15.00 flat for courier delivery, Australia-wide). Check here for Australian/New Zealand stockists, here for US stockists, and here for UK/Europe stockists.

Today’s post written by Edwina

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It isn’t very often that I cross paths with a toy that brings another universe into our living room.

My kids were given a the Eyeclops by their cousins for Christmas, and it’s really quite amazing. It is basically a giant microscope eye that enlarges its subject onto the TV screen - so little things get big.

We have had lots of fun checking out the carpet, our skin, and the top of the Milo!

It is also a lot of fun for a bunch of kids to play. Throw a nature party then view the intrepid explorer’s discoveries magnified 400 times.

This would be great for show and tell, or perfect to lend to your kids teacher or daycare centre for a fun science project.

I couldn’t get any good photos in our living room, so these shots are from a website created by Rob, a dedicated fan, who has lots more pics and information.

Get get you started, some sample pics from Rob’s site are below.

1. A clothing tag

2. A magazine

3. 100’s and 1000’s and table salt.

4. A close up of above.

The Eyeclops is available from Online Toys Australia for $99.99 plus postage.

Contact Online Toys Australia for a shipping quote.

Today’s post written by Miki

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In the 2008 KidStyleFile Annual Reader Survey, one of the most popular toys as voted by you, our readers, was the humble stacking block.

And fair enough too, I say! Blocks have a myriad of wonderful uses, from teaching toddlers coordination and fine motor skills (and don’t you love the shrieks when a block tower falls down!) to giving babies an interesting new object to explore with their little hands. They can be used for counting, for learning numbers and letters, for pretend eggs in shopping play, and don’t forget just for good old fashioned stacking!

Blocks give kids hours and hours and hours of entertainment, and good quality blocks will last for decades.  My son plays with the same blocks his father did! Blocks can also be a really beautiful nursery decoration when stacked artistically on a shelf or bookcase.

Now, most of the blocks you’ll see in shops are the basic wooden variety and there’s nothing wrong with that.  But if you want to spice things up a bit, take a look at Etsy - www.etsy.com - and oggle at some of the stunning designs there.

Soft blocks for babies (just as good for stacking!) and wooden blocks for toddlers & preschoolers; they’re all there and they’re all beautifully, individually made by real craftspeople who take pride in their work.  You’re bound to get comments from other parents if you have blocks like some of the ones pictured below, and 900+ KidStyleFile readers say your kids will love them!

From top left in rows:

All prices are quoted in US dollars.  Check Xe.com for currency conversion rates.

Soft Blocks Set from ellajeangifts, $17.00
Six small wooden blocks from hiccupdecor, $20.00
Visual Stimulation Developmental Baby Blocks from cookiedough, $23.00
Rockin’ Blocks Skull & Crossbones Alphabet from beebles, $40.00
Customised Fabric Play Blocks from mimiscrafts, $40.00
Six Storybook Blocks from nurserylove, $24.00

Please check individual sellers for shipping and delivery details.

Today Nerida road-tests the ERGO Doll Carrier for you. This is a great product for baby-wearing families with older kids who want to be just like Mum and Dad. Read on…

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ERGO Baby Doll Carrier

Cost $42.00

Where to Buy

The ERGO Baby Doll Carrier can be purchased from Babes in Arms - www.babesinarms.com.au

Special Offers

1. Postage is free when you purchase an ERGO Doll Carrier with a Baby Carrier from Babes in Arms.
2. Babes in Arms currently have a range of special offers running on full-size ERGO carriers.

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Review

The ERGO Baby Doll Carrier is a replica of the hugely popular ERGO Baby Carrier, designed for “all those ERGO-babies who have grown up and would like to carry around baby dolls of their own”.

The product is designed for children from 2 to 4 years old, and looks exactly like the ERGO Baby Carrier but in a smaller child friendly size.

The doll carrier is made from a tough cotton canvas and can be machine washed and dried. It is available in a Hawaiian print with cranberry accents, and comes nicely boxed.

On receiving the carrier, my almost 3 year old daughter was a little bit skeptical that it would be something fun to play with but once we found an appropriate doll, and put it on her back, she was quite delighted and wanted to keep in on most of the afternoon (how is that for comfortable doll carrying!)

She is quite familiar with baby wearing - her cousin is carried around in something similar, so this made the product more interesting for her. It was easy for her to  put on herself once we showed her how and she quite liked fastening and undoing the front buckle on her own.

Kat’s daughter Charlotte also tested the carrier, and she preferred to wear it on her front. Having both front and back wearing options is a big plus.

Pros

Little children love role playing and this is something a little different from a doll pram. If my 6 month son was carried around in one as a newborn, it would have helped in those difficult early months of having a newborn and a toddler when the toddler is just becoming familiar with having another child in the house. As a gift, it could be bought in conjunction with an ERGO carrier if there is an older sibling in the household.

Cons

Only available in one fabric colour choice.