It’s getting to the point where my children’s tastes and mine are seriously diverging. No matter how much I try to explain the sophisticated merits of gray, my pink-loving daughter is not having it. And my son? Why settle for Chuck Tailors when you can have neon green flashy alien sneaks!

But one thing I think we might agree on is the Spiketus Rex backpack. The kids would obviously love the dramatic spines. While Mom likes the bold colors and funky design, AND the fact that they encourage a little use of the imagination. Not so literal in their design, they could be anything: an ankylosaurus, hedgehog, durian fruit…

Available in full or half sizes in pink, aqua, orange, lime, purple, or black as well as white, green or blue gator and snake brown.

View full post on Babygadget

Here’s the final one of my delicious bed finds for kids – and actually my final Babygadget post, after five solid years of weekly updates. Sadly, now that my daughter cannot be described as a baby by any stretch of the imagination, and now that the full-time job is taking so much of my headspace, I’ve decided to call it a day.

The Castello bed is an Italian piece which I found via London store Go Modern.

It’s essentially attractive, though my personal preference is not for the pastel peach colour, and I must say that I find the hanging curtains just a little reminiscent of the entrance to a cold storage area. But there is much to like, from the shape to the sturdy steps.

At £1,300, this would be another ‘dream on’ piece for me, but then so many that I’ve featured on Babygadget over the years have been. It’s nice to know they’re all archived in one place for those who might appreciate them.

I’ll miss scouring the web for finds like this – well, I’m sure I’ll still find myself indulging occasionally. And I’ll be sure to pop back to Babygadget to see what my co-writers have discovered, too.

View full post on Babygadget

For the chubby-fingered toddler in your life, what better than this tubby cutlery, from Fabrikators & Josefine Bentzen? BpA, Phthalates and PVC-free, they’re a safe option as well as being easy to hold. And they look fab too, coming in a choice of four zingy colours.

$42.00 a set from A+R Store.

View full post on Babygadget

God forbid that the dog should feel sibling rivalry once you start having kids. Make the pooch feel like a real part of the family, with a Babawowo matching onesie and dog coat.

It’s silly, yes, but… no, wait, it’s just silly. But hey, a lot of things are. And if you can dig that (as opposed to digging up bones), this NY-based Etsy outfit will ship you a matching set for $40.00. Pieces also available separately.

Via Dog-Milk.com.

View full post on Babygadget

Ink and Spindle are far far away from me here in the UK, and the majority of our readers, who reside in the USA – but my goodness their work speaks to me directly.

The Melbourne company is the work of two designers, Lara Cameron & Tegan Rose, who print everything by hand. I am especially impressed with their “Pirates and Sea creatures” print (above), which is available on a onesie (AUS $49.00), blanket or just fabric.

The inks are solvent-free and the fabric is organic, so maybe that can go some way towards offseting the carbon miles, if you’re ordering from this side of the world.

This is a charming idea, too – Ink and Spindle will send you all the material you need to sew up a quilt for your little one: eight of their prints, and a plain border fabric too. $145 Aussie dollars, which are at the time of writing very close to the US dollar in value.

View full post on Babygadget

Ah, remember when the only thing you were interested in wearing on a lanyard was an ‘access all areas’ pass? Might as well face it, those days are gone: for me, lanyards are all about holding my ID for the office job.

Well, your festival-going younger self would probably wrinkle up her nose at that – and equally much at this. The spoon on a lanyard is as exciting as round-the-neck action gets for the new mum, and a darn sight more useful than that backstage pass. It comes in a range of pretty colours, too.

View full post on Babygadget

So yeah, in my hunt for a bed for Tabitha (solved in the end by some diligent eBay sniping, yay), I indulged myself a little and took a peek at some of the high-end stuff. The stuff we could never afford.

What do you think of this little set-up? It’s from an Italian place known as Dear Kids. They do the most desirable, solid furniture in the sorts of colours that only the Europeans ever seem to produce with any consistency, and they also sell what they call ‘settings’, ie an interior for an entire room.

I’m not sure how safe that rail would be for a young child, but for the older kid it’s great touch: it can, of course be customised to the name of choice. I’m really liking the wheels on the bed, and the storage within the steps.

Talking of storage, who wouldn’t die for a chest like this? I don’t even have to look at the price though: we can’t afford the space, never mind the Euros. There’s lots more on the website, if you fancy a bit more fantasising.

View full post on Babygadget

Now that’s planning ahead: you can start off with a little crib on wheels – which, like a moses basket you can transport with you from room to room – and when your child is old enough, it becomes a toy. Genius!

There are two versions, the cradle which becomes a push-pram (the hood comes in many choices of colour) and the crib which just becomes a cart for toys, I guess.

From Made by Midas. Visit their website if you have a few spare moments – I wouldn’t want all websites to be like this, but it’s quite good fun.

View full post on Babygadget

I’ve never seen star-shaped dominoes before – but why not? It certainly takes away the image of old men playing in a pub, and puts them firmly in the ‘children’s toys’ camp. No danger of grandpa nicking these.

Also from designer Kiko Shiomi, the magnetic town scene. It comes with plain black bases that you can draw your roads on – how wonderful.

View full post on Babygadget

Just spotted on Etsy this beautiful, portable hop scotch mat and puppet theater by Cool Spaces for Kids. The braindchild of Capetonian stylist and author Sam Scarborough (Children’s Rooms and Cool Spaces for Kids), these creative spaces turn almost any place into instant fun.

View full post on Babygadget