Rock Star Baby by NICI

This cool rock rat was designed by Bon Jovi rock legend and drummer, Tico Torres, Rock Star Baby by NICI has all the rock star credentials any cool kid could ever want.

The black rats for the adults who are still kids at heart - and the soft greys for those who are a little younger! Flat rats to lie on, snuggle up to, musical rats and little comforter rats. All shapes and sizes.

Rock Star Baby is the alternative for parents wanting more than the typical baby pastels and features soft plush, rattles, cushions, musical plush, comforters, bibs and pram mobiles.

Keepsake Jewellery by Small print

I attended the Parenting Expo a couple of weeks ago, which was highly disappointing with the small range of exhibitors and low number of visitors.

I did however come across a couple of products worth blogging about.

Small Print offer beautiful pieces of hand crafted jewellery that capture your child's fingerprint in polished silver.

They offer something for everyone - cuff links for Dad, a keyring for Grandpa, a necklace for mum or a keepsake for when they grow up.

They also offer Christmas decorations with your child's finger print, a truly unique treasure to be hung on the tree for posterity.

Noo Design

In September 2007, I wrote about these cute dress ups from Noo design.

They have added two new costumes to their range, the giraffe and koala. I think the giraffe is very cute.

These are designed and made in Australia and are 100% cotton. Each 4 piece set consists of top, pants, shoes & hat and come in a cute matching gift pouch.

Noo's summer range promises to be just as cute with the addition of onesies and hooded animal towels.

Purebaby Welcomes Summer Time

I take my hat off to anyone who sets up their own business and makes it a success. It is no easy feat, but worth the hard work.

Purebaby, the Australian organic clothing label for babies and children, is enchanting parents all over the world now with an international distribution to more than seven countries worldwide. Well done Purebaby.

Launched by a mother with a passion for the environment, the entire Purebaby collection, including clothing, accessories, sleepwear and manchester, is simply divine. Carefully crafted from pure organic cotton, the label draws inspiration from new season trends and nature, offering a range that is far from run-of-the-mill baby wear.

Purebaby welcomes it's summertime range with the organic 2008/09 Spring/Summer Collection, featuring an exquisite colour palette and delicate designs to complement tranquil summer days.

Buggy pod Smorph

Make your single stroller suitable for two with this buggy pod.

Perfect for those who don't need a double stroller all of the time - just when your older child needs a ride from time to time. The buggy pod clips onto the side of your existing stroller frame (and suits most stroller and pram frames including 3-wheelers and twin strollers), transforming it into a two-seater when needed, and folding up neatly when not.

Buggy pod offers a soft concertina fold footrest, luxury seat pad and a 5-point harness. It adds 39cm to the width of your stroller and holds a maximum weight of 15kgs. Suitable for children 6 months to 3+ years. Flexible side fabric to accommodate larger children .

RRP: $199.00

World’s Greatest Pram Stroll

Now in its seventh year, the Mother’s Choice World’s Greatest Pram Stroll is coming up during the month of October (November 16 in NSW). Please check out their web site to check the date and location of the World's Greatest Pram Stroll in your state.

The aim of the event is to raise awareness of the importance of socialisation and active recreation for new mums and dads as well as providing information on local support, the resources available to families and the diagnosis and treatments available for post natal depression.

“The stroll brings together families in an active and friendly environment, and encourages people to use our parks as a venue for healthy activities which promotes social connectedness and mental wellbeing,” said Jenny Holliday, CEO of the People and Parks Foundation.

“The People and Parks Foundation is proud to have Mother’s Choice as the major sponsor and thrilled to have Kim Watkins and Shane Wakelin involved as the 2008 Ambassadors and we look forward to another really successful event,” concluded Holliday.

“Everybody knows being a Mum is challenging and it can be quite isolating, so the World’s Greatest Pram Stroll is a great way to encourage parents to pack up their kids, their strollers and a picnic lunch and enjoy all the healthy things parks offer our community,” said Kim Watkins, Ambassador for the stroll.

The World’s Greatest Pram Stroll is proudly partnered by the following organisations:
· Mother’s Choice
· Parks Victoria
· Beyond Blue

New Mountain Buggy Swift

I am a big fan of the Mountain Buggy, so I was excited to discover that they are adding a new member to the Mountain Buggy family, The Swift.

The swift is to be released in Australia later this year, the 1st of December 2008. Further details on pricing are not yet available, and I will keep you posted on this.

The new Mountain Buggy Swift will be previewed at the Melbourne Baby Expo in a couple of weeks.

What is so exciting about the Mountain Buggy Swift?

Mountain buggy has offered the Breeze for years now, for families wanting a more compact version Mountain Buggy. Although it is a good compact stroller, it doesn't compare the the urban range with its front swivel wheel (although bigger). I have wished Mountain Buggy would make a compact version of the Urban for years now. My wishes have come true with the new Swift.

Key features:

• 10 inch air-filled tyres for a smooth ride
• The swivel front wheel and compact design are perfect for navigating busy streets and narrow aisles.
• Quick release wheels and push-in axles make the Swift especially compact to pack, handle and store
• At just 9.5kg (21lbs), Swift is easy to handle without compromising on build quality.
  Includes a large storage tray and handy zip pocket bag.
• The five-point safety harness is fully adjustable and with the full-recline hammock makes the buggy suitable from newborn to toddler.
• A stormcover and new zip-in suncover are available

Measurements
Folded length: 96.5cm, (38in)
Width: 64cm (25.2in)
Weight: 9.5kg (21lbs)

I have not road tested it yet, so I can not comment on this new product from personal experience. However if it is of the same quality as the rest of their range, I do not think we will be disappointed.

Colours available will be: Chilli, Lime and Flint

Bonne Bonnet - Give your Bugaboo a new look!

Here's a great way to give your Bugaboo a new look. I am loving these new custom made replacement canopy for the Bugaboo. They are available in various fabrics, designs, textures and colours.

They are designed to fit the Bugaboo Frog, Cameleon and Gecko. I love that they are machine washable too.

Bonne Bonnets was founded by two moms with a passion for bringing style and creativity to the cradle.

Available from Babies r us in the USA for $98.99 USD plus shipping.

Johnny Loco

Here's a cool way to get around - the cargo cruiser by Johnny Loco.

It comes with quite a price though, the cheapest is a mere €1 599,00, and yes they ship world wide!

Also check out their junior cruiser, bikes for children, they look amazing.

Beautiful New Branberry Blankets

I am a huge Branberry blanket fan, and have been wondering when Emma at Branberry was going to be adding new designs to her already fabulous range. Well I have to wait no longer, and you will not be disappointed with the new four-colour stripes range.

All Branberry blankets are made from 70% pure combed cotton and 30% extra fine merino wool, babies and children can be tucked in securely without feeling restricted as they are wonderfully elastic but don't stretch out of shape. They can be machine washed and last year after year.

Gardening Products for Children

Children love to help and be involved in every day activities that occur around the house.

These new gardening products for children from Twigz allow children to be involved in the gardening too with tools that are the right size for them to be able to do it themselves (which we all know children like to be able to do).

Gardening is a wonderful activity to involve your child. Now that Spring has arrived this is also a perfect time to plant. Why not buy some potted colour and have your child help plant these, or start a herb or vegetable garden together.

Quinny by Henrik Vibkov

We have seen it done before where designer, artist or someone famous is involved in a limited edition design on a baby product, with some fabulous results.

Quinny are the latest to follow this idea and they have collaborated with Danish designer (musician and film maker) Henrik Vibkov and have developed the ‘Quinny by Vibkov’ line which will be available from October 2008 at a very select number of leading fashion retailers worldwide, including Colette (Paris), Seven (New York), SPRMRKT (Amsterdam) and the Henrik Vibskov multi-brand store in Copenhagen.

Quinny has added Henrik's colourful designs to many pieces, including nappy bags, strollers, wipes and more. The collection also includes pieces for adults such as a poncho, sunglasses and an umbrella.

Unfortunately it will not be available in Australia.

Made With Love by Mamas and Papas

This month Mamas and Papas are launching their new Made with Love Interior collection. This follows on from the highly successful Interior launches of Roundabout Boys, Girls and Barnaby Buttons earlier this year.

This Interior Collection includes 18 separate pieces that all work together through styling and colourways, enabling you to create a unique nursery with these individually designed pieces. The luxurious mixture of fabrics, hand quilting detail and a beautiful colour palette will certainly bring your nursery to life.

Hand Quilted Reversible Bassinet Coverlets RRP $99.95
Hand Quilted Reversible Cot Coverlets RRP $199.95
Woven Cotton Reversible Pram Blanket RRP $69.95
Made with Love Toys from RRP $19.95
Made with Love Bibs RRP $16.95

Mini Micro Scooter

A few weeks ago Babystyle blog wrote about the amazing G bike for children. Brought to you by the same company is the mini micro scooter.

These cool mini scooters are ideal for preschoolers (3 years+) as it helps to develop their balance, co-ordination and motor skills.

Mini scooters are made from light-weight reinforced plastic.

A great feature is that they are light weight and portable, and come apart in two pieces - so it will fit easily on top of a buggy or in the corner of a cafe.

The T-bar steering column and unique 3 wheel scooter design provides safety and stability for the very youngest of kids, as they learn to use their body weight and balance to steer. The large high quality non-marking polyurethane wheels give a smooth and quiet ride – and are suitable for indoors and outdoors.

RRP is $99.50 with free delivery.

Lilbird

I saw Lilbird on a the Metro Mum web site a while ago and thought that's cute, but it wasn’t until I was sent a sample I realised how special these are.

If you are looking for an irresistible baby gift, these are well worth a look.

Lilbird arrives in a complimentary box with their signature papier-mâché egg packaged with a satin ribbon and delicately nestled in its own paper nest, and with a beautiful onesie, tutu, singlet or long sleeve tee inside.