I’ve long been a fan of soy milk — for me and the boys — so my natural curiosity for this bean led me to find out more about Babysoy. To my surprise, this wasn’t a brand of soy formula or baby milk, but a line of clothing made from the leftover pulp from tofu, soymilk and other soy products.

All the pieces in this mix and match range of children’s clothing (newborn to toddler) are made using eco-friendly soybean protein fibre — a natural renewable resource that also feels fabulously soft against the skin. According to the website, soybean fibre is smoother than cashmere and has the same moisture absorption as cotton but with a better moisture transmission, making it more comfortable on the skin.

Babysoy founder Amy launched the range a few years ago after the birth of her first child, when a lifelong friend told her about his discovery of the soy protein fibre. "My son suffers from excema and these pieces are lovely on his skin," adds the US-based designer, who has since seen her business grow with the support of green-parents, trendy boutiques, the odd eco-celebrity and groovy and informative websites like this.

These are cozy, comfy clothes for wrapping up in. I particularly like the boys’ and girls’ playwear (the cargo pants with side pockets are great for curious tots to store bits and bobs), and the essentials range of hats, blankets, socks and bibs would make a great newborn gift at any baby shower.

The line starts at around $4 for socks and booties and is available in Australia via Mudd Kids or direct from Babysoy.

Rather than try and stop my one year old from writing on the furniture, here’s a gorgeous yet functional piece of craftsmanship I’d be more than happy for him to attack with felt-tip pens.

The low Bookshelf Recto Verso (Ä990) from French design stable Nonjetable can also be used as a space divider and the white back panels are washable surfaces specially designed for children (and adults) to ‘express their individuality’ (i.e. scribble madly on the walls).

There is also a built-in CD/DVD storage unit which can double as a doll’s house or secret hidey-hole for that special car or dinosaur collection. And at just over one metre high (it measures 120 x 112 x 30cm), it’s the perfect height for little ones. And when they’re finished with it, this piece will still function as a great piece for your living room or bedroom.

I have also been gazing longingly at the Suspended Bookcase (Ä355) – a hanging bookcase which can be fixed to the wall either horizontally or vertically, or simply leaned vertically against a wall or in a corner.

Nonjetable is the brainchild of interior designer and stylist Meri Von Renteln, who is originally from Finland and now lives outside Paris. With her roots in Scandanavian design, Rentein chooses to work with natural birch and aims to produce pieces that ‘won’t become boring or outdated and … will carry on looking good for a very long time.’

Well we’re big fans here at Babyology of this practical, durable and environmentally-friendly furniture range which, while at the blow-out end of the budget, is designed to be kept and passed on from generation to generation.

You can purchase these stunning pieces of furniture from Little Fashion Gallery.

A very good friend of mine has just moved into a new house and is searching for inventive and humourous wall decals for her daughter’s playroom. So I couldn’t wait to send on the link to Parisian design duo Paristic, which was passed on to us here at Babyology by one of our readers (thank you Beth!).

The company makes large scale matt vinyl stickers, many with a French urban theme, which can be easily applied to walls (including skirtings, corners and mouldings), doors and windows.

You can choose from the Paris skyline as viewed through a window, wrought iron detailing, or have a lifesize zebra next to your bed. Or for the nursery there’s everything from space invaders and fire-breathing dragons to the Paris Metro map being invaded by Pacman. On a gentler note you could opt for a huge bunch of balloons or a steam train. My personal favourite is the Chrysler building (hey, at least I could pretend I live in New York).

The manufacturer assures the stickers are easy to apply and no traces will be left on walls or windows if you decide to peel them off. They come in black, white and nine other colours.

Stickers in the Kids and Big Kids range start at around $17.50 and go up to $150 (depending on the size and detail) plus shipping costs.

Ahh, they make baby bath time look so easy in the hospital when the midwife helps with your newborn’s first wash. And then you get home and have to recreate this wondrous moment in your own bathroom. I remember ending up totally soaked with a drenched, inquisitive toddler, a screaming baby and a desire to throw my ugly, bulky plastic tub right out the window.

If only I had got my hands on the ‘why hasn’t anyone thought of this before’ amazing Puj Tub — things could have been very different. This flexible soft tub from Puj is designed to fit in any standard sink (no more back-breaking leaning over the side of the bathtub). It stores flat but when in use wraps around your little one, cradling the baby and preventing any nasty head bumps on the side of the sink.

The Puj Tub comes in six great colours (I love the bright yellow — a perfect choice for expectant parents) and is also designed to dry fast. The thing I grappled with most in using a big plastic tub was safely emptying the water after bathtime – a job reserved for my husband when he got home. But with this nifty invention this is easily done by unfolding the Puj and letting the water trickle down the sink.

Okay, so it won’t stop baby from crying when it’s time to get out of the bath, but it will make bathtime much easier and calmer. Which is how it should be. It’s designed for infants from 0-6 months and fits both pedestal and countertop sinks. There’s even a video on the website showing you how to use it.

The Puj tub is US$150 from Puj. The team there has just started shipping to Australia — just email sales@pujbaby.com with your request. Also check out the totally gorgeous Puj Booti shoes while you’re there…

My dad says he wishes he could sing. Well, I wish I could sew. I’ve tried countless times, but it seems even the simplest of creations gets my stomach (and my thread) in a knot. Which is why I am indebted to those clever Etsy people — you get to buy gorgeous handmade goodies without having to go through the frustration of making them yourself.

This discovery of these amazingly simple yet versatile alphabetical handmade beanbags has come at just the right time for me. I’ve been searching for beanbags for my two boys for a while now, to no avail. They have such fun with beanbags at their family day care (throwing, running races, sorting, counting — you name it), they were on the top of my Christmas wish list. But as time was running out, I was (horror of horrors) considering having to make my own. This would not do.

But these colourful bags, embroidered with all the letters of the alphabet on one side and numbers on the other, have saved me from sewing hell. They earned the design team at Elle Belle a spot in the finals of the Etsy Handmade Kids Challenge and have had plenty of positive feedback from happy customers on their site.

The beanbags are US$84 for a set of 26, and you can order additional bags for US$2.50 each (extra vowels are always useful…), plus shipping. Also check out the other listings on Etsy for the smaller sets of custom beanbags (for spelling out your little one’s name). Just don’t expect to see any of my creations on Etsy any time soon.

(via Minor Details)

How ridiculously cool is this? Yes, it’s an original 1950s vintage Harry Bertoia Wire children’s chair, complete with original yellow pad, and is just one of the many amazing pieces in the vintage-modern kids’ chair collection from Three Potato Four.

Northern Virginia-based Stu Eli and Janet Morales started their online shop and blog because of their love for collecting. Their passion is evident in the range of products they sell — a mix of vintage and modern goodies for the home including paper goods, prints, accessories and children’s toys. The pair came up with the great name for the store after teaching their 2 year old the rhyme ‘One Potato Two Potato’.

Other kids’ collectables on sale include Thonet’s famous Bentwood chairs, framed Children’s Record Guild album covers, and vintage gameboards which look great as artwork in the kids’ bedrooms or nursery. I also really like the Apple Coathangers by Dutch designer Pakhuis Oost, and for my car-loving toddler I can’t go past the Money Box Van.

But if it’s vintage you’re after, it’s best to get in quick. According to the Washington Post, who flagged up this happening online shop earlier this year, they sold more than sixty items in the first week of going live. So if you see something, don’t hang around as it might be gone next time you log on. And hands off those Bertoia Wire chairs!

(Via Minor Details)

The most played-with toys at our place are the ones that can be anything my childrens’ imagination want them to be, whether it’s a cubby house, a space rocket or a football goal. And if it can spin, rock or roll then that’s a bonus.

So I can’t wait to get my hands on this fab Play Top. A little like an oversized spinning top, it comes with no rules or instructions (who needs them?) and is designed to encourage creativity and imagination. You can hide in it, roll each other around in it, and mainly have fun in it.

It reminds me a bit of those spinning cups for toddlers you find in good play parks (mental note: do not try and squeeze into one of these yourself, especially if you’re eight months pregnant — not a good look).

Luckily the Play Top is bigger than the park versions — 80cm diameter — and has a raised, rounded edge to protect children’s fingers from getting rolled over. It’s aimed at three year olds and up, but I know that my rough-and-tumble one year old would love having a go too.

It’s just over $90 from UK-based company Great Little Trading Co plus shipping costs.

(via KidsHaus)

It’s only natural that to compensate for your living room being turned into a toy-filled play den (and any decent furniture you do have being covered with unidentified stains, boxes of wipes and the odd stuffed toy) that you satisfy your lust for beautifully-crafted furniture in other rooms. So how about starting with the nursery?

This Changing Table Dresser from US based Edgar Blazona’s True Modern is designed to grow with your child. It starts out as a changing table, then once baby has outgrown this you can remove the tray for a more grown-up look. The dresser features solid birch wood and wood veneer, and cute coloured detailing in cool blue, lime green and popsicle orange.

But you’ve been warned — Blazona’s dresser, nightstand and bookcase are pretty tempting too… Available from All Modern Furniture there’s currently no shipping to Australia (they ship the furniture pieces in the US fully assembled). But do keep checking here for updates.

Every morning from 5am onwards my one year old migrates from his cot to my bed. And while I try to hide under the duvet, he will climb over mummy to the bedside table and demand the digital clock to play with. I happily oblige (anything for a few more minutes shut-eye) as this is the only thing he will play with. We’ve tried books, toys, stuffed animals… but no, the clock is far more interesting.

So British designer Paul Blease’s modular lamp would be the perfect bedside dressing for our room. The powder-coated magnetic lamp is made of different coloured and shaped pieces that can be pulled apart and stuck back together to create all kinds of weird and wonderful shapes. And with a toddler’s imagination there can be hours (one can only hope!) of play to be had with this useful light.

Blease, a recent industrial design graduate from London’s Central Saint Martin’s (a rich stable for emerging design talent), says he prides himself on making things to an exceptional standard that are durable, beautiful, innovative and full of character. Well top score on all those points here.

It doesn’t look like the modular lamp is in production yet, but be sure to hear more from this designer and check out the impressive portfolio on his site.

(via Babygadget)

I’ve got a tattered old sideboard in the kitchen which I rescued from the side of the road. I keep meaning to revamp it so it resembles something vaguely mid-century modern, but can’t decide what colour to paint the sliding doors (well that’s my excuse for it sitting in the state it’s in). But after seeing the real craftsmanship of parent, woodworker and entrepreneur Robert Kwak, I’m going to leave furniture design to the professionals and save myself a lot of hard work in the process.

The delightful thing about the pieces from Muu is that they come with magnetic interchangeable panels (the MuuPanel System) which can be custom-designed with your child’s name on it. So you can change the look of the cot, storage unit or dresser as you wish. As Kwak says on his website "As parents we have learned that there are two universal truths about kids: one, each child marches to his or her own individual tune; and two, that tune changes all the time." How true that is.

With these gorgeous panels — cherry blossom, mopeds and helicopters, whales and butterfly to name a few — you can update your furniture as the children get older or if you redecorate. The Sonic Boom and Amplified panels will especially appeal to teenagers.

The Sam Collection (pictured below) is Muu’s debut suite of modern sustainable furniture, made in the US by Robert, whose family has over three decades of woodworking experience. The range is named after Robert’s grandfather who sold children’s shoes from his shop in Brooklyn, New York.

Muu does not currently have an Australian distributor, so shipping will have to be arranged. Prices range from $750 to $2000, while replacement panels go from $120 to $200 depending on the size.

(via Ohdeedoh)

"When I was a young warthog!" has become a catchphrase in our house. This line from a song in The Lion King has to be sung as loudly and as stupidly as possible, and always gets a laugh. As a result, my children and I (and even my partner) have developed a fondness for this rather ugly creature. So you can imagine how overjoyed I was to find this t-shirt from quirky US-label Birdlette of a warthog in a chef’s hat (well he is barbecuing!), pictured below left.

There is a refreshing sense of humour in Birdlette’s designs, which feature animals with ‘street’ accessories (such as the sneaker-wearing hippo and handbag-toting meerkat), or just chilling out (like the banjo-playing gorilla and the bikini-clad llama with beachball).

Birdlette Design Studio is graphic design pair Andrea Latvis and David Poses who hail from Cold Springs, New York. All their onesies and kids’ tees are double silk-screened by hand and come in a great range of contemporary colours.

The brand is named after the ‘little bird’ in their life, daughter Ruby. Birdlette’s designs are "inspired by their lifelong addiction to art and culture as well as the uncomplicated and ebullient nature of their daughter".

Tees and baby onesies from US$16 via Etsy. Check out their Etsy store for limited-run designs at sale prices.

(via Babygadget)

Okay, so a dining table with a built-in marble run could work one of two ways with a fussy toddler: either they’ll be so keen to be seated at this magical table they’ll eat anything, or – and I think this is the scenario to expect at my house – they’ll spend most of the time underneath the table following the trail of marbles as they wind down the legs of this amazingly carved piece.

In truth, the design of the Marbelous table from Dutch designers Ontwerpduo will appeal mostly to big kids, that is, pre-Wii adults who remember the hours of fun to be had with the board game Mousetrap (and trading marbles in the playground!).

Designed by Tineke Beunders from the Ontwerpduo studio in Eindhoven in the Netherlands, this Maple table, measuring 200 x 90 x 67cm, is what she calls a ‘functional woodcarving’, bringing together the worlds of adult furniture and children’s toys. She explains “From my childhood I remember it was always exciting to combine these two… I used the woodcarvings of furniture as a playfield for my puppets, to play in a new world.”

There’s no need to worry about little balls running off the legs and creating havoc around the house — you won’t actually lose any of your marbles thanks to a couple of clever catch cups in the feet of the table as well as the centre. But if I were you, I’d check regularly for foreign objects. I wouldn’t be surprised to find the odd pea down there (if only my parents’ dining table was this versatile!).

At this stage the table is more of a design project, but it’s worth bookmarking the Ontwerpduo site for production updates. Watch this space for more information.

Via Oh Gizmo!

If you’re after a contemporary way to jazz up your child’s bedroom that won’t break the bank, these funky 3D wall tiles from MIO will do the trick.
Made from recycled paper, these modular PaperForms Flow tiles are configurable in an array of bold haute-relief patterns that are sure to stimulate your child’s senses.

Great for customising and redefining a space on a budget, the tiles can be used on a section of wall or throughout a room to create varied effects. You can mix and match patterns, or design your own pattern by rotating the tiles. Individual panels can be replaced as needed, and the modular set-up means you only use what you need.

As the panels can be temporarily or permanently fixed to the wall, they’ll definitely appeal to renters and those with temporary nurseries or rooms that require regular updating.

MIO are Philadelphia-based designers Jaime and Isaac Salm, who make witty, eco-friendly home products with an emphasis on sustainable design. The tiles come in either natural or white, and can be painted with a variety of finishes.

Each tile is 30.5 x 30.5cm and a 12 tile pack covers 1.1 sqm. The PaperForms Flow 12 tile pack costs $32 and is available from MIO.

(Via Babygadget)

I was surprised to learn the other day that eczema affects one in three Australians at some stage in their lives. According to the Eczema Association of Australasia, more than half of all eczema sufferers show signs within the first year of life, and 90% develop the skin condition before the age of five.

Both my boys have mild symptoms of eczema, so I’m forever on the search for the ultimate skin care range and have become a bit of a cream connoisseur in the process. As a result I have a plethora of wonderful lotions and potions in the nursery all designed to bless my children with super-smooth, spotless skin.

Which is why I was very excited when I saw the BabiesOnly Smooth as Babies Balm. At $32.95 for 100ml, it contains Australian white clay, aloe vera gel, green tea extract and various oils including calendula, organic jojoba, coconut and sesame oils. The boffins at BabiesOnly HQ (who developed the range in conjunction with a paediatric herbalist and a resident aromatherapist) say the balm is helpful for dry and irritated skin, nappy rash and chaffing, and also sunburn and windburn. I haven’t tried it yet, but will definitely give it a go if either of the boys has another nasty bout of dry, itchy skin.

The range also includes the BabiesOnly Bubble Bath ($19.95 for 125ml, a gentle bubble bath containing organic oils, which means your little ones can have fun in the bath without their skin drying out. There’s also a BabiesOnly Baby Face Nourishing Cream ($24.95 for 60ml) made with organic manuka honey — perfect for soothing sore chin and cheeks.

I’m definitely also adding the Clear Zinc Sunscreen ($25.95 for 100gm) to my shopping basket — low irritant and fragrance free, and super sensible too! Or for a gift idea try the Start Me Up Kit with shampoo, baby wash, baby balm and massage oil ($39.95). Or perhaps try the Sole Mama Foot Balm for the mum who is ALWAYS on her feet…($19.95 for 100ml, from the BabiesOnly Organic Mother Care range).

The full BabiesOnly range is available through UrbanBaby.

It’s astounding the amount of stuff kids need to take to
school. I remember lugging a bulky backpack the size of a small house to and from school every day and times haven’t changed really. When I see poor schoolchildren with these cumbersome additions packed with books, gym kit, lunch and more strapped to their back, I find it amazing they don’t topple backwards and remain stuck on their back waving their legs in the
air like tiny beetles.

Luckily there is a practical and stylish way to avoid such embarrassment
on the way to school. The BookBag for kids from Moop is a far more ergonomic and
impressive way to carry your bits and bobs. Made of durable cotton corded
canvas so all those grimy school germs can be washed away in the washing
machine (and dried in the dryer!) there is plenty of space inside and it’s
clear that lots of thought has gone into this design.

There’s a main inner pouch plus four pockets – a large Velcro-fastened
pocket across the back, a big zipper pocket inside (perfect for lip balms,
pencils, notepads and rocks) plus two deep pockets under the flap. What I like is its easy-access opening – the top simply closes with two sturdy
snaps. There’s also an adjustable strap and two D-rings (a nice detail) on the
side perfect for clipping on keys, torches or water bottles.

From a design point of view, I love the flash of avocado
green you get from the organic cotton lining of the bag which currently comes
in a neutral sand grey fabric. Other colours are available on request and you
can even get your bag personalised with your child’s name. And parents – there is
no need to covet your child’s schoolbag. Moop also makes funky bags for grown-ups
too. Check out their website for more designs.

The Moop BookBag, $86, is available via the Moop website. 

Why is it that
toddlers always want to rock backwards on a chair — any chair? And it doesn’t
matter how many times they crash backwards or land with a thump on their bum,
they’ll be back for more tomorrow.

If you, like me, are so over the sound of
your own voice repeating ìOn your bottom please, and don’t rock back,î when
trying to get your child seated safely then perhaps a different tack is needed.

It’s such a
simple idea I can’t believe it didn’t occur earlier — both my kids will love
rocking out in this super stylish chair by UK product designer Alexander Taylor
(and I can rest assured knowing they won’t cause too much damage to their heads
or bums).

The Kids Rock
chair comes with an impressive design pedigree too — Taylor was dubbed UK
design magazine Elle Decoration’s Young Designer of the Year 2005 and also won
the Best in Lighting category the same year for his Fold lamp (which is now in
a permanent collection at the Museum of Modern Art in New York).

The Kids Rock
chair is produced by trendy London manufacturer Thorsten van Elten for whom
Taylor has also produced the Paris rug and antler-shaped powder-coated coat
hangers.

The Kids Rock
chair, 43x63x53cm, has an English oak frame with rubber inlay and comes in
tomato red, lime green, and pastel pink, blue or yellow. At around $560 a pop (250 Pounds) this is as much a
design investment as it is a functional piece of kids’ furniture. 

  

It’s a given that at some point in your life as a parent, your children will become much hipper, cooler and streetwise than you. I know its not long before my boys snigger at my brand of trainers or the cut of my jeans. 

So why not give little ones a leg up in the fashion stakes early on? Okay, as mum-of-two in her mid-30s there’s no way I can carry off the surf/skate street look anymore, but that doesn’t mean my children have to sacrifice all sense of style.

These cool clothes for boys by Queensland-based designer Cried Wolf will make any toddler the envy of all his pre-school pals for sure. And as summer is round the corner (which means shorts and T-shirt weather and thankfully a lot less laundry to do) now is the best time to stock up on lightweight separates you can mix and match.

With bold prints, spots, stripes and logos in rainbow colours on blacks and greys the Cried Wolf range of T-shirts, shorts (skate, surf and retro styles) and hats will turn your little boys into cool dudes before they can even climb on a surfboard.

We love the Barnyard and Baygone T-shirts (yes – there are lots of little bugs crawling all over) and can’t wait to see my son in the little retro-style Striper cotton boardies. You’ve got to love the mini Fedora too, even if there is a risk of turning your son into a little Justin Timberlake.

The range is available from Ten Little Indians plus other retailers nationally. Check out Cried Wolf for full stockists details.

Don’t you
love an inspirational quote?  I often find
a choice sentence can justify most actions – such as purchasing an
extraordinarily expensive child’s toy while being reassured that I am indulging
in my little one’s educational and developmental needs.

The website for Swiss
manufacture Naef Toys – the master craftsmen behind the stunning hand-crafted Gloggomobil
musical instrument – has a page of quotations which embrace the importance of
play, such as “When you play, nothing is impossible” (apart from eating
perhaps, if you’ve blown the monthly budget on a super-duper glockenspiel-cum-xylophone-cum-barrel
organ).

But if you
have an inkling that your baby or toddler could be the next Mozart, and you’ve
already gone through the gamut of usual toy instruments (electronic keyboard,
annoying toy guitar, various shakers and tambourines, tiny violins and excrutiatingly
noisy trumpets, grand piano…) then perhaps this aesthetically pleasing,
sophisticated and educational music machine could be next on the list.

Designed
in 1983 by Herbert Bahli for Naef Toys the Gloggomobile uses the principle of
the barrel-organ – as studs on the barrel are struck, tunes are created and
carried through a simple mechanism to the metal keys of the glockenspiel. The
wooden xylophone can also be played directly with sticks.

It
is a stunning piece of craftsmanship in itself and I bet parents will have as
much fun playing, admiring and displaying this top-of-the-range toy, available online through
Fawn and Forest which ships internationally, which is entirely hand-made in
Switzerland and designed to last. And when your paying to the tune of US$900 a
pop, you would hope so.

There are lots of things that make me want to be a little girl again – being allowed to get messy when eating ice cream, having an afternoon nap, not having to work – and this super-stylish (and yet functional) toddler bed from Florida-based designers P’kolino just confirms it – children really do have it good.

This brand new miniature bed has just been released, with its rounded corners and tangerine accents (it would be rude not to opt for the orange model!) wouldn’t look out of place in a trendy 20th century modern furniture showroom and yet it’s a fraction of the price of a designer piece and multi-functional too.

I’ve never really been convinced with the idea of toddler beds, given that children seem to grow so rapidly and then it’s bye-bye mini bed, hello eBay. But the best thing about the ingenious P’kolino toddler bed, which comes with side rails, is that when your little one outgrows the bed it smartly folds into a gorgeous chair. And the designers promise that its easy to fold out again if needed, for sleepovers.

I love this brand, and after visiting their online store, I am afraid for my credit card. Too long have I been searching for play furniture that looks good, is practical and won’t mean I have to re-mortgage the house. P’kolino Toddler Bed is US$189 plus shipping and you’ll need a re-shipper for this one.