gives you daily information on unique and fabulous childrens products from around the globe. We also provide a place for you to discuss kids gear with other parents and help you choose and compare major products.
A humidifier is not something you’d normally need for an Aussie summer – unless, of course, your family’s planning a summer sojourn to the Arctic. But here at Babyology we like to be prepared. Plus, we’re so excited to find a humidifier that looks less like a boring piece of medical equipment and more like something from a swanky design studio that we couldn’t wait until winter to show it to you.
The Middle Humidifier by Japanese designer Takashi Hiroshi Tsuboi will help keep stuffy noses clear with a level of style that’s unheard of with these sorts of contraptions. Shaped like a tear-drop, the humidifier holds enough water to push out steam for up to ten hours. It looks so good that you won’t want to hide it away in the bathroom cupboard when you’re done with the wheezing and snuffling.
As far as we can tell, the Middle Humidifier is only available in Japan. But if that changes before the next cold and flu season sets in, we’ll certainly let you know.
It's funny how some things you don't see for years, then suddenly they pop up all over the place. The Matryoshka (Russian nesting dolls) have been around forever; as we all know, the little hand-painted families are collectibles, and slowly they're gaining more popularity with young and old.
Urban Outfitters gives you the opportunity to create your own Matryoshka family with a set of five plain wooden dolls, just waiting to be livened up any way you like. The dolls are made from wood so you can use any medium you like - be it paint, crayon, or pencil. You could even decoupage if you felt the need - it's all up to you!
I personally think this would make an excellent school holiday project in my home. I'd be quite interested to see what each of my kids comes up with - I think it would be a family of fairies for one, and a line up of distorted monster characters for another.
Whichever way you think they'd turn out in your home, you can nab yourself a set of five little beings from Urban Outfitters from US$16.00. Shipping to Australia is not yet available so a reshipper will be required.
I want this! My children were immediately drawn to this Lull lamp with it's innovative natural flower simulation.
Designed by Lull (based in Norway), this very cool looking light works likes this: as a bud during sunrise it stretches it's petals to bloom - it opens carefully and dims up to give a powerful morning light. In the evening Lull acts the opposite: when it's time for bed, the flower slowly closes while the light is dimming down and turns into a bud again.
Shaped like a flower, Lull offers a calm and soothing experience for what should be our most relaxing room in the house. Lull lamp has a time-adjustable dimmer to be set individually for each user's recommended cycle of sleep.
Wonderful for small children who need a visual reminder when bed time calls, the lamp has been designed in consultation with psychologists and specialists on sleeping problems. And if you ask me, this is a much nicer way to wake up than my annoying beeping alarm clock!
Visit Lull to find out more about the release of this blooming beauty, and watch the great video of this lamp in action below:
Now here's something that will capture the attention of even the most
jaded design-o-phile. It's a bag which unfolds to become a mat - great for plonking baby down on while you're out, and handy for carting
around his toys so you get in that cuppa and chat without too many demands from baby.
The
Akanbe Bag
is a happy travel companion, adorned with smiley faces at each corner that double as handles when you fold it up. Toys go in the middle so you
can fold them neatly into the body of the bag. When baby is grown, use it for picnics, a groovy floormat in the bedroom, a magazine holder, or receptacle for disguising mess when impromptu visitors call in.
I think the price is great considering the Akanbe's possible uses and the quality of its design. It measures about 100 x 100cm, so plenty of room for a baby with toys in tow. It may also protect little people from
the bumps and bruises they inevitably suffer once they become mobile; those with hard floors will especially appreciate the spongy texture.
