modeco kids

At Nayla Natural Care you’ll find a variety of products for you and your family, but I’d have to say their niche is one-stop shopping for safe, non-toxic, high quality skin and body products. This Canadian online boutique is owned and operated by a family in Ottawa and it launched recently. Their curated selection of natural products is the result of this thoughtful approach:

There are so many products out there that claim to be “all natural” or “organic” but the truth is that you really have to do your homework and read ingredient labels to know what you are really buying…. We have gathered some of the best products that we have used with our family over the years as well as a lot of new ones. We’ve spent countless hours researching these products, their ingredients and talking with their manufacturers.

They even took it a step further by recruiting other families to test products before they decided which lines to carry (and only the very best products made the cut). You can read their product reviews and add your own too!

I thought it would be fun to pull together a selection of goodies as though I were shopping for a baby shower gift. Here are my top picks: Angel Baby diaper rash soap, SwaddleMe wrap, Baby Beaver massage butter, Duide protecting balm.

As much as I love discovering new products, I love browsing a shop and finding products that I’ve featured on this blog! At Nayla Natural Care you’ll also find Canadian RiNGLEY natural teething toy and All Things Jill natural skin care which you may remember from a previous post.

See something that’s caught your eye? Worldwide shipping is available. There’s even free shipping within Canada for orders over $150!

(images via naylanaturalcare.com)

Technorati Tags: natural skin care, organic body care, Canadian online shop, baby gifts

August 14th, 2008 Lisa posted in KIDS, RETAILERS, gear, retailer spotlights, skin care No Comments »

Little Bodhi is “essentials for the enlightened baby”. Great tag line! This Canadian online baby boutique specializes in organic baby clothing, fair trade accessories and non toxic wooden toys. You’ll even find cool music for babies including lullaby renditions of Bob Marley. This CD caught my eye since my husband and I recently watched a documentary movie about him.

They also offer a pretty unique service: free customized birth announcements that you can email, blog or print to share the news of your baby’s arrival with your family and friends. To be eligible new parents need only sign up for a gift registry.

I love the colors and styling of these toddler shoes by Umi for children up to 24 months. Too bad I didn’t know of this brand when my boys were that young! Apparently this brand was recognized by Consumer Reports® as one of their top recommendations for baby’s first shoe. I don’t know if this brand is exclusive to Little Bodhi, but a quick search of Canadian retailers at Umi’s website suggests it’s hard to find these children’s shoes elsewhere in Canada.

(image via littlebodhi.com)

Technorati Tags: e-boutique, baby boutique, children’s boutique, Canada, organic baby

August 10th, 2008 Lisa posted in KIDS, RETAILERS, clothes, gear, playtime, retailer spotlights, shoes No Comments »

Harveys recently launched The Little Collection, a new line of seatbelt bags for kids. I’m loving their mini messenger bags - a very stylish alternative to backpacks with cartoon characters!

(image via seatbeltbags.com)

Technorati Tags: messenger bags, seatbelt bags, kids, children

July 20th, 2008 Lisa posted in KIDS, gear No Comments »

Here’s a great tip for online-only retailers: host a one-day shopping event in your local community! It’s a fantastic way to connect with your existing customers and hopefully meet some new ones.

Nancy DeHart of Toronto-based Kai Kids is going “on location” this coming week to showcase her online boutique’s collection of ethical, eco-friendly, natural, non-toxic, upcycled and organic products for babies, toddlers, new moms and moms-to-be. She says here that she’s hoping to make it a regular event with monthly (and eventually weekly) Kai Kids shopping days.

If you’re in the Toronto area and want to check out Kai Kids in person, drop by 1390 Danforth Avenue in Toronto between 10am and 6pm on Tuesday July 8th. Email Nancy at info@kaikids.com or call 416-318-1501 if you’d like more information. A change room and mirror will be set up in the space so you can try things on. Also you can expect special sales for this one-day shopping event, available only to walk-in customers!

All products sold at Kai Kids are fair trade or ethically manufactured. You’ll also find several Canadian brands and products made locally including some I’ve featured on this blog (Bare Organics, Little Soles, RiNGLY and Petit Flaneur).

While browsing Kai Kids to pick out a few products for the image above, I noticed how well Nancy has described where things are made. The product description for Little Soles, for example, clearly states that they are made in China, but they’re sweatshop-free: “The Calgary-based owners travel to China to oversee the production run to ensure fair labour practices and quality control.” These details are perfect (and reassuring) for label-checkers like me! (I’m not alone! See this article that predicts that a growing number of consumers will want to know about the origins of their purchases.)

Here are the links to the products in the image above:
Little Soles leather baby shoes
Cut4Cloth organic top
Bambu bamboo bowls
Jessica Scott maternity top
Fleurville diaper bag (made from recycled pop bottles)

(images via kaikids.com)

Technorati Tags: online children’s boutique, baby gear, organic, fair trade, Canadian, eco-friendly

July 6th, 2008 Lisa posted in KIDS, RETAILERS, clothes, gear, mealtime, retailer spotlights, shoes No Comments »

Babes in Arms offers products that support attachment through breastfeeding and babywearing and is located within a midwives clinic in Calgary. Talk about making it easy for new and expecting parents to shop before or after appointments with the midwife! Anyways, I was browsing the Babes in Arms website last week after shipping an order of Sweetbeets to them and discovered several new-to-me products for babies and kids that are designed and made in Canada.

RiNGLEY is a natural teething toy made of organic terrycloth and untreated Canadian Maple that’s handmade in Toronto and available either knotted or straight. RiNGLEY is carried in a long list of children’s boutiques and gift shops across Canada, but no retailers are listed for the USA. I’m shocked! Maybe the retailer list is not up-to-date. With all the recent health concerns with plastics, this natural teething tool seems like a winner.

These wooden toys are made in British Columbia by Tuff Toys. You’ll find lots of trains, tracks and accessories in their catalogue.

HipMelon’s reversible baby slings have a simple pouch design made of fabric with just a touch of lycra for comfort. I love this sophisticated black and white design that’s lined with a knit fabric that just happens to be my favorite color. Each sling is handmade in Calgary.

All Things Jill is another Calgary-based company and offers natural bath and body care products including a line for babies. All products are handmade and made-to-order.

(images via ringley.ca, tufftoys.bc.ca, hipmelon.com, allthingsjill.ca)

Technorati Tags: made in Canada, wooden toys, baby slings, pouch sling, natural skin care, organic teething toy, wood teether, baby gear

June 24th, 2008 Lisa posted in KIDS, gear, playtime, retailer spotlights, skin care No Comments »

I think it’s quite brilliant the way this cover up by Smicko’z is designed. It slips over the child’s arms and ties at the back so it won’t bother children who don’t like ties or velcro at their neck. And the ties are out of reach so it will stay put! Available in a variety of fun, modern patterns (my favorites are the sorbet dot and the cherry stripe for girls and the camo and mirror dot for boys). The collection is made in Canada and designed by a mom who got the idea when her daughter refused to wear a bib at one year old: “too old for bibs…still spillin’ like a villain” as the tag line reads. Buy one online at Planet Kid for $28 Cdn.

(images via smickoz.com)

Technorati Tags: bib, smock, made in Canada, children, toddler, baby, mompreneur

April 4th, 2008 Lisa posted in KIDS, gear 2 Comments »

This past weekend my husband and I went to the Spring 2008 edition of the One of a Kind show in Toronto. It was our first visit and it was really fun! I thought I’d show you some wooden toys that we bought as well as some other things for children that caught my eye.

The wooden car puzzle is by Sleepy Hollow Creations and is handmade in Quebec. You cannot tell by the photo, but the puzzle actually has two layers. The bottom layer shows the inside of the car with people and the engine under the hood. This company also makes unique three layer puzzles and there was a cute one with the different phases of development of a butterfly in each layer.

This wooden forklift truck has been a real hit with my boys since bringing it home! It, along with the wooden bus, is handmade by Thorpe Toys in Waterloo, Ontario. These pieces were excellent value: the car was $9.95 and the forklift was $19.95 CAD. They don’t have a website but I did pick up a business card with contact information if anyone is interested.

The bespoke uprising collection of children’s clothing is the creation of Halifax-based Roisin Fagan. The pieces feature hand-drawn textile patterns, and she hand-dyes, prints, sews and embellishes each article of clothing herself.

I’ve seen Mally Bibs featured on other blogs. These bibs are made in Canada using leather in great color combinations and have a very smart magnetic closure. They are carried in over 300 stores across North America. Mally Bibs is now offering leather applique art cards in designs that match the bibs.

The booth for Bookhou was so serene and their modern mobile is even more stunning in real life! Again, I’ve seen their nursery decor and children’s accessories featured on other blogs, but it is always nice to see in person. Did you know that Arounna of Bookhou is writing weekly craft projects for children at Bloesem Kids?

These cozy sheepskin slippers by Garneau were a new discovery for me, although they’ve been around for over 30 years. Smaller versions are available for babies size 4 through children’s size 3. The slippers are handmade in Quebec.

I’m so sorry that I don’t have any photos to show you of one of the major highlights of the show: the Rabbit Green collection of children’s clothing handmade from reclaimed fabric. I recall very sweet, one-of-a-kind dresses with small front pockets and interesting fabric combinations. The collection was very much “on trend” and I think Rabbit Green is one to watch. Click here to read a short bio on the Toronto-based designers behind Rabbit Green.

I also saw Parade Organics and Fidoodle, two companies that I’ve featured before here and here.

Technorati Tags: one of a kind, handmade, indie, independent designers, made in Canada

March 25th, 2008 Lisa posted in KIDS, art + decor, clothes, gear, playtime 2 Comments »

HugaMonkey offers simple and affordable baby slings that look very easy to use. The slings are sewn in the USA by mompreneur Leah Higginbotham and a friend. An eco-friendly fabric option will be added to the line of baby slings and Leah’s looking for input. In exchange for voting on the best eco-friendly fabric and adding your name to their mailing list, you’ll have a chance to win one of five HugaMonkey baby slings. My favorite is the green leaf motif made from a blend of organic cotton and organic bamboo. I like how it has a fresh and modern illustration, but at the same time the pattern is subtle so you don’t have to worry about it clashing with what you’re wearing. The contest closes on Thursday (March 20th) so hurry if you want to participate!

(images via hugamonkey.com)

Technorati Tags: baby slings, made in USA, mompreneur, baby carriers, attachment parenting

March 18th, 2008 Lisa posted in KIDS, gear 4 Comments »

Swedish children’s design company Our Children’s Gorilla has a great tag line: the children’s imagination is our inspiration. See their collection at the upcoming Bubble exhibit in New York next week including the new Brownstone and Fire Station play houses made of cardboard and raw MDF.

Their friendly robot hooks and monkey hangers might just motivate my sons to hang up their clothes! And the ‘monster’ chair looks like it would be fun for a child to take apart and put together. I also love the sleek look of this A-frame doll house. With the exception of the laser cut metal robot hooks, the other pieces are made from eco-friendly Valchromat. I learned here that it is wood fiber board colored through with non-toxic organic pigments.

(images via ourchildrensgorilla.com)

Technorati Tags: children, robot hooks, monkey hangers, cardboard houses, doll houses

March 5th, 2008 Lisa posted in KIDS, furniture, gear No Comments »

A friend once gave me the tip of warming baby’s bed to ease the transition from a parent’s cozy arms. These warming cushions are filled with grain and I assume you can heat them up in the microwave. So much more stylish than the heating pad I used to use! They are handmade in Germany from 100% wool felt by HEY-SIGN. A coordinating frog carpet is also available.

(image via hey-sign.de)

Technorati Tags: warming cushion, nursery decor, felt design

February 20th, 2008 Lisa posted in KIDS, gear No Comments »