KidStyleFile

As part of our Christmas coverage this year we are sharing with you our own personal picks for our kids. Today we’re featuring  Annie’s picks. Enjoy! – Ange

Read all Christmas 2010 coverage to date here. You can view last year’s picks here.

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Annie & her daughter (now 2 years old)

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Christmas becomes more and more exciting each year for us. This year our daughter (2 years) is coming to terms with who Santa is and is awestruck by every single Christmas tree she comes across. I must admit to feeling just a little bit more relaxed this year with a huge chunk of my shopping done but if there is one thing I know for sure there is *always* room for a little more

Here are some of the things that will be under our tree this year:

• Mini Micro Scooter, $119.00 – As I watched our daughter navigate her way around the store on this (and had to bribe her off!) I knew it was something Santa would have to have in his sack.
• ‘Merry Christmas Splat’, £5.93 – We all love Splat in our house so a Christmas book is a must .
• Melissa & Doug Nina Ballerina Magnetic Dress Up Set, $27.95 – Something a little bit different to a standard puzzle and perfect for our budding dancer .
• Seed Disty Pom Pom Dress, $69.95 – Because every little girl needs at least one special party dress.
• TubArt Foam Faces and Bath Crayons Set, $21.00 – Something for a little bath time fun.
• Minui Crealamp, $89.95 – Okay so this one might be a little bit more for me. I fell in love with this idea. Our daughter is always so proud to display her creations I know she will get a kick out of having them on display properly.
• IKEA Lillabo Train Set, $19.99 – A few of our friends have these and all the kids love them so hopefully it will be a hit in our house too.
• ABC Kids Humpty Dumpty Bean Toy, $16.95 – Playschool is a lifesaver in our house and Humpty is the favourite. I can imagine endless rounds of ‘Humpty Dumpty sat on the wall’ with this little guy around.
• PuggyHouse Castle, $39.95 – A cubby house for our angel to draw all over instead of our furniture that folds away at the end of the day – brilliant!

Please check individual sites for postage details and be sure to survey the KidStyleFile All Current Deals page to make sure you’re getting the best possible deal.

Post written by Angela

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When browsing the Danish by Design – www.danishbydesign.com.au – stand at The Baby & Todler Show in Sydney on the weekend I did a double take when owner Gillian Rose commented on the stylish backpack on display “You just pop your baby in and off you go!”. Surely the super-stylish back pack on display couldn’t be a baby carrier?! It certainly didn’t look like any baby back pack I’d ever seen before, and truly, the Dadanana JoinUs backpack isn’t!

This mould-breaking carrier dispenses with any hint of it’s camping store contemporaries and places itself firmly in the realm of urban life. Good looks don’t outweigh practicality either. The JoinUs product features include a fold out head support that grows with your child;  rain cover/sun shade which keeps you prepared for any weather;  auto-locking hinge for safety and ease of use;  durable materials that keep like new and ample storage to hold all your essential baby gear.

Suitable for use with babies once they can sit up until around 15 kgs, the Dadanana JoinUs weighs in at a mere 2.7kg and is available in 3 colour choices for $249.95 complete. See below for images and a video of the JoinUs in action. Visit the Danish by Design website for Australian stockists.

Today’s post written by Angela

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Good design makes life a joy, pure and simple. Well designed objects exude a harmonious fusion of form and function, offering a robustness, timelessness and superior functionality that makes life easier and enhances enjoyment, often for generations.

A good designer not only sees a product, but feels it; feels the needs of the people that will use it, and caters for this. Stig Leander, the designer behind Scandinavian children’s furniture company Leander – www.leanderdesign.com – has applied this understanding to the Leander Cradle, Bed and Chair to come up with artefacts that represent the best possible choices for children.

Leander designed the Leander Cradle following the birth of his sister-in-law’s twins to cater for the emotional needs of little babies. This iconic design can be suspended from the ceiling or a tripod stand to create a calm and safe environment for babies from birth to 6-9 months of age.

Following the success of the Leander Cradle, Leander developed the Leander Bed. The beautiful curved European beech of the Leander Bed not only makes a stunning design statement, but is infinitely practical: it functions as a cot and transforms into a junior bed as your child grows, meaning you’ll get at least 6 years use out of this piece.

The Leander Chair is Stig Leander’s latest innovation, and true to form it takes the everyday and elevates it to the sublime. The sculptural curves of the Leander Chair are not only beautiful, but impressively functional: this baby caters for infants from 9 months of age through to adulthood (yes, that’s right *adulthood*: with a weight limit of 130kg anyone can use this chair!), and features an adjustable safety bar and back rest as well as seat and foot rest adjustment for ultimate comfort, support and safety in sitting.

All Leander products are made in Europe from plantation timber and come in a selection of colour finishes to suit every décor.

The Leander Cradle retails for $369.95, the Leander Bed is priced from $1759.95, and the Leander Chair retails for $299.95. Accessories and extras are sold separately for all products. Leander products are distributed in Australia by Danish by Design. Click here to view online and bricks-and-mortar stockists.