Baby Fashion Blog - Baby Gifts & Baby Boutique Stories

Baby Names

Who doesn't love learning about names?

We had such a great time discovering and searching for baby names when planning for our daughter's arrival.  We did the typical search online.  We then bought a couple of baby name reference books; as well as thinking about our "family" names.  But, it wasn't until we were on a family vacation in Tennessee that our daughter's name "came to us.".  While in the historic "civil-war fort" town of Franklin, we decided to walk down their old main street.  The day was blistering hot and full of Tennesse humidity.  After stopping at a Starbuck's to load up on needed fluids....we "window shopped" numerous boutiques. 

At the point that we were just about to call it a "day".....we passed a darling little boutique called Emmeline's Boutique.  That was the name!

We didn't have the fortune of finding BabyNamesCountry before our daughter's birth.  Veronica Russel and her husband Daniel, created BabyNamesCountry.com in the loving memory of their late son Gregory (who they lost when he was only 2 years old).   As you can imagine, this was a heart-breaking loss. 

BabyNamesCountry is a non-profit website that is dedicated to Gregory's memory.  The website is one of the best online sites that we have found as a resource for not only finding names, but learning more about them.  The website's name directory's (organized by girl names, boy names, origin, alaphabet and popularity) is extremely well designed and very easy to use!

Kudos to Veronica and Daniel for such a terrific way to remember their son.  To learn more about their story and their website proejct, visit them here. 

   

Cloud B Sleep Sheep On the Go - Our Super Hero

The award winning Sleep Sheep On the Go from Cloud B has become our mini super hero.....and has made our Must Have list.  It may work a little differently for everyone, but here are its super hero powers for us:

• It is sleek and small, able to be mobile at a moment's notice.  It can dangle from a car seat with included Velcro strap (carseat pictured with the ultra soft My Blankee car seat cover) or the sheep on the go can jump into or over your co-sleeper in a single bound.    And, we always remember to grab it and go by including it in our Posh Baby diaper bag.
  
  

• The sleep sheep casts its baby sleep spell with an intelligent timer that plays just long enough to be effective (a 23 or 45 minute setting option) while also saving the battery for many, many, many more plays.

       

            

• Then there are the sleep sheep sounds...which slowly sooth baby into a gentle sleep.....

Our 3 week old daughter has suddenly discovered its magical sounds.   At first she didn't know what the sheep was doing (obviously, right?)  It would usually take 5 minutes or so and then maybe it would work.  But after several times of repeating the Sleep Sheep....it soon became so effective that it takes less than a minute for its powers to work.

Her favorite magical sound  is the ocean waves (there are also the sounds of rain, whales and a running stream).  As soon as we turn the sleep sheep on, the ocean waves sound comes crashing up onto the sand and then recedes, only to repeat again....it takes 15 seconds now, when our daughter realizes that the spell has been cast.   She quickly goes into the "sleep zone"...settling and then, yes, sleeping!

Funny enough; when we use it at night.....we all are now cast under a spell...with the waves enchanting us all to go to sleep!

We are now the proud owners of two mini sleep sheep for on-the-go and out-and-about.  We have also bought the sleep sheep's full-size big brother for the bedroom:)

Sweet dreams....

You're French, Aren't You?

Kathleen Panak has created a darling new line of baby onesies for her company, The French Chihuahua.  Could the name be any cuter?  Inspired by her French mother, raised in Milwaukee, WI, and the proud owner of 2 precious chihuahuas, Baby and ZsuZsu, Kathleen's designs are really whimsical and fun.  She eagerly states, "My hope is to offer items that have a Touch of French, a Pinch of Vintage, a Dash of Eccentricity, and always a lot of fun which in the end equals a unique product for you."  Well...I go for anything French and Vintage, don't you?

Our baby Emme is the proud owner of the "Reine des Abeilles", or Queen Bee, design.  Other designs for girls include the 'Papillion Social' or Social Butterfly, and 'La Jolie Princesse' or Little Princess.  Designs for boys include 'Diablotin' which means Little Devil, and 'Prince Charmant' for Prince Charming. These onesies are tagless (babies hate tags) and are made from very high quality cotton, with darling puffed sleeves and ruffled trim on the girl designs.  Really nice touches for the basic black or white onesie! 

VERY reasonably priced at just $16.50, a French Chihuahua onesie or tee makes a darling gift for your own baby or a lucky gift recipient.  Check our their selection today!

Baby Emme is Here!

After 42 long weeks of waiting, our little girl has finally arrived!  Born on March 7th, 2007 at a whopping 10 pounds, she is everything we dreamed of and more.  Here is a little collage of the pictures I took on the morning of her "2 Week Birthday"....Enjoy!

Motherhood and other adventures

Continuing our series of Mom Powered Blogs, here is one FULL of fantastic stories and advise.

Motherhood - and other adventures

Here's the author's info from her blog:  I am a thirty-something mother of three living in Loudoun County, VA (an outer suburb of Washington, D.C.).  I worked for a decade at a large internet company before quitting a year ago to spend more time with my kids, who are all under five years old.  Now I work and go to school part-time.  I intend to work in education once my kids are a bit older.

Here is an excellent story on breastfeeding that mentions Polka Dot Whale.  For those of you that have struggled through breastfeeding (best for baby!) this is a great collection of tips:

"

With three kids under four years old, I am now well into my third (non-consecutive) year of breastfeeding. I don’t profess to be an expert, but there are a few things that I’ve learned. 

• Here’s something I mention so you’ll know what to expect, and that it will pass: Breastfeeding feels fine for the first day or so, and then it hurts like hell during latch-on for two or three weeks. It’s not just a “little pinch” or “uncomfortable” type of pain. This is fifteen seconds of “getting your hand slammed in a door” kind of pain. Except that it’s your breast. And it hurts worse. After fifteen seconds or so, though, it feels ok, and after two weeks your skin toughens and the whole process is pain free. You should then be able to enjoy the bonding time with your baby instead of cursing his name for causing your nipples to feel like they are on fire.

• After trying out every brand out there, I can safely say that Medela disposable breast pads (http://www.medela.com/NewFiles/breastcare.html#lacepads) are far and away the best. When milk gets on them they form a gel-like substance within the pad rather than just getting wet. This way they are more comfortable and the milk doesn’t soak through or run off and leak. Also, they are thin and flexible to start out with, so they are not obvious under thin clothes. They cost more, but they are absolutely worth it.

• Get a comfortable cotton sleeping bra, like the Arabella Sleep Bra at www.amazon.com. Sleeping in a regular nursing bra is uncomfortable after a night or two. Make sure it’s cotton - I tried a microfiber one and found that it gets so stiff when milk gets on it and dries that it can stand up by itself.

• Get a good nursing pillow and use it, at least at the beginning. I learned my lesson with my third baby. I was just using pillows and not sitting up straight, and after a few weeks I developed excruciating headaches. My doctor informed me that I had a muscle tension headache (not the brain tumor I convinced myself I had) that was caused by hunching over.

 I have a “My Brest Friend” (http://www.mybrestfriend.com/) pillow, which is great. It has a washable cover and has held up great after three kids. It’s flat on top so the baby doesn’t roll into you too much and it has a strap so you can walk around with it to grab a pacifier, change a diaper, etc. The Velcro strap is loud enough to wake your baby when you pull it off, though, so I just make sure not to tie it too tight and just shimmy out of it when I’m done. 

• Get a hands-free pumping kit (http://www.medela.com/NEWFILES/seambraspant.html#pumpingfree) if you need to pump, even if you’re at home. You may not think you need one, but once you won’t go back. It’s nice to have an extra fifteen minutes of productivity.

• The Medela Micro-Steam sterilizer bags (http://www.medela.com/NewFiles/cleaningproducts.html) are a Godsend. You rinse your bottles, pacifiers, or pumping equipment and put it in the microwave for a minute and a half (three minutes with an older microwave, depending on wattage.) Once they’re microwaved, they are sterilized. I really liked this for my pumping equipment. I brought these to work and would use them right after pumping. That way I could use the same pumping equipment later in the day without making a big scene at the sink.

• Get a washable hands-free Nursing Cover , like you’ll find at www.polkadotwhale.com. This is very handy when nursing in public. No matter how well you schedule your outings or visitors, your baby will let you know at some point that it’s time to eat NOW, in public. A hands-free cover is a lot more convenient than a blanket.

• If you’re planning to nurse at night you’ll want to have a nursing nightgown or wear a top and bottom pajama combo, rather than a nightgown. This will be obvious the first time you try to hoist up a long nightgown while your baby is wailing, but I’m mentioning it so you can get one before you go to the hospital. Also, don’t bother bringing pajamas to the hospital. You won’t want that mess and nastiness on your clothes – stick to the ugly hospital gowns!

 Giving some of these things as shower or hospital gifts for a mom intending to breastfeed is a great idea. Most new moms don’t know that they’ll need some of these things. I didn’t realize I’d need a sleeping bra, for example, and was really happy to get one as a gift in the hospital. Anyway, hope this is helpful advice from the trenches! Good luck!"

FULL ARTICLE LINK HERE

Check out Validation for a stay-at-home mom too Article here. 

Simply Quilts - Baby Quilts

We have had a lot of relatives and soon-to-be mom's looking for quilt tips and advise.

Simply Quilts is an HGTV series that was a little too Niche and ended up getting cancelled.  For those of you who like to Quilt, this was sad news....however, we were happy to learn that HGTV has made the series available on their website. 

More Birds

Here's a Chirp Messanger bag:

Can be found at: purplepinkandorange.com

Walnut Wallpaper

Who would have thought that designer wall paper would make it into your baby's room?  Featured this month in Domino magazine (which does a feature on each room in the house), Walnut Wallpaper shows off its animal design prints. 

Here are our favorites...whales! Whales!  Whales!  And, Birds:).

About Walnut Wallpaper:

Walnut opened in Hollywood in early 2005 with the goal of showcasing cutting edge wallpaper not found at typical retail wallcovering stores. Their second floor studio quickly gained an underground reputation as a one-stop-shop for hard to find designs from around the world. And while we continue to carry modern staples like Neisha Crosland and Flavor Paper, we also constantsly expand with upstart lines such as Sum Design and Palace Papers, to name a few.

Chirping Little Birds

Cute Little Birds

As we listen to one of our favorite songs (the littlest birds by the Be Good Tanyas), we have noticed that his season’s baby is full of birds…just in time for spring. Here are just a few of the places where birds are starting to sing in full force:

Mijnes (Dutch Design) - Mijnes designs accessories, especially for children’s rooms (also a little bit for grown-ups). These high-quality items are all individually designed and handmade, which makes each special. Everything by mijnes is handmade, a lot of time goes into each product and they are of exceptional quality.

Designer: Lorena Siminovich – Adorable Bird Collages

Lorena Siminovich (born in Buenos Aires) is a San Francisco based artist, designer and illustrator. With a background in graphic design, and an extensive career as an art director, she became interested in design for children five years ago when she moved from Buenos Aires to New York. She then became responsible for art direction and product development for mudpuppy, an award winning company that manufactures puzzles and toys for kids, whose products can be found in museum stores across the country.

Darlybird – Online store

Littlest birds – Be Good Tanyas (see our widget on the left bottom side named favorite songs by Pandora)



Polka Dot Whale – Birds Nest Mother's Necklace

Designer Amy Schimler

Known for her illustration and print work for clients such as Baby Gap and Target, Amy Schimler is now available through her cafepress store - View Here.  You can learn more about her inspiration on her BLOG.

WE love her bird and animal prints.....

Oink Pig Baby Tee

Gabby Baby - Mind Your Business

Gabbybaby reminds us of what our pediatrician said when we our daughter was born...., "A lot of people around you are going to suffer from verbal diarrhea....meaning a lot of people are going to say and tell you how to do a lot of stuff with your new baby....but they won't know what they are talking about....the best REAL advise taht they should give you is that..."you'll figure it out"...there's no new parent manual:).

Just featured on the Rachel Ray show....GabbyBaby was born out of the sheer amazement for the crazy and otherwise socially unacceptable things people do and say to someone with a new baby. While new parents would appreciate extra consideration for their sleep deprivation, instead they are often bombarded by strangers who grab their “oh so cute” baby by the hands (right before he sticks them in his mouth), followed by a slew of child-raising advice that was never solicited. On behalf of babies and parents everywhere, gabbybaby t’s & onesies speak to these “offenders,” offering the perfect way to politely, but firmly, ask people to mind their own business.

Please don't give my parents advise Tee Shirt & Onesie

I'm not staring at you...I'm pooping baby Tee Shirt

Swanky Canvas

Founder and artist Stacey Clayton creates customized canvas under the company name of Doodle Diva.  She's a MOM, a registered nurse and holds a BA degree in commercial and interior art....a powerful combo!  We're sure that when you check out her canvas creations you'll agree that the name of doodle diva is well deserved!

For the baby fashionista:  Walking her Dotson  while doing a little window shopping.

Comple w/ real Tutu!
 

For your little baby pilot.

For more information you can call them direct at:  501.834.1755.  Enjoy!

Practical Whimsy

Based out of Los Angeles, Practical Whismsy's name says it all.

PRACTICAL WHIMSY was founded in 2003 by husband-and-wife team Lori & Joe LoCicero to e-spouse the virtues, values and victories of "Southern Hospitality, Hollywood Style" and - in that vein - offer up a range of like-minded groovy goods and hip tips.



We "find" their blankets with a mix of softness and stylish patterns:

Ultimate Born in the USA Baby Blanket

Ultimate Race Car

Learn more about Practical Whimsy

A cup of Tea? Tea Collection

Tea Collection brings sophisticated style for spring.  Known for their inspirational designs from all over the world...these highlighted styles are some of our favorites.

For Baby Girls:
Check out their new Tea Collection Pearl knit Kimono

The elegant Pearl Pink Lotus Kimono Footie

For Baby Boys:
Sky Blue Lotus Kimono Bodysuit - Onesie


With Matching Tea Collection Receiving Swaddling Blanket:



 

Mom Power - MyMomShops

MyMomShops - Described as a blog run by a New York City mom of two (and fanatic online shopper)...this Mommy powered Blog finds cute and clever stuff for moms and tots.  Here's one of her latest finds:










Tricycle Canvas

Also, check out MyMomShops stylehive for some more unique shopping finds.

Betz White

Put this one in our crafty creation finds!

We just discoverd Betz White.  As her profile is rising due to coverage from Martha Stewart on her cupcake creations....our favorites are her blankets and her bird pouches:

   

Learn more about Betz and her collection here.

Discover Your Baby's Inner Chai

Inner Chai finds the perfect balance of Zen Themed designs crossed with super cute sayings.

Starting off with their baby hats, they come in fresh colors and designs such as spicy citrus orange and pink petal tea.  You can find these baby zen hats directly on their website.  Check out  the buzz on Stylehive
 

Their most popular are their baby, infant and toddler tees.

One of our favorites is "I am at Peace" Onesie with matching pink baby booties. 

Another Fav for Boys is the Blue Onesie Socially Inappropriate

And a must for any baby is the organic cotton Haikoo Baby Onesie

AdAge Trying to Cash in on Mommy Blogs

Here's a great story of how advertising is trying to capture the MOM Powered Blogs out there.  We've pulled the story from Adage.com.  You can read here.  The story is their #1 emailed story this month!.

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It's a boom time for blogs and similar websites catering to the shopping, networking and shoulder-crying needs of the big-spending modern mom. Good news for marketers looking to tap into this market -- yet worried about the usual pitfalls of blogger involvement (bad design, worse writing) -- is that the creators of some of the more popular sites are (or were) agency creative directors, advertising lawyers and women's-content developers for major media conglomerates. And those women, many of them new moms themselves, are delivering loyal mothers eager for shopping tips and product picks.

A more intimate relationship
Unlike corporate sites such as iVillage or BabyCenter, the "mom webmaster overdelivers in impressions and marketing because a big brand has valued what she's doing, and her readers support her and respond better to those ads and content," said Maria Bailey, CEO of mom-targeted marketing firm BSM Media and author of "Trillion-Dollar Moms: Marketing to a New Generation of Mothers." Ms. Bailey noted that major marketers have been slow to sign on to these smaller sites that, while offering fewer eyeballs than large online networks, have something far harder to come by: intimate online relationships with moms.

"Moms are the ultimate internet networkers," said Debra Aho Williamson, senior analyst at eMarketer.com. "They seek out other moms' advice for what they're looking for." All of today's e-media buzz words, from Web 2.0 to blogging to user-generated content, are "right down the alley of today's moms." Ms. Williamson's recent report, "Mom's Online: Parenting With Web 2.0," found that in 2005, 32.2 million internet users -- or 18.4% of U.S. internet users -- were females with children under 18 in the house, a number that is predicted to rise to 36.6 million by 2010. And mommy-blog readers are a marketer's dream: Blog-ad firm Blogads in March reported that the average consumer of such content is a 29-year-old female with annual income of $70,000 who taps in to five blogs a day and spends four hours a week on them.

Just how many mommy blogs?
BlogHer, an aggregator for women's blogs, counts 1,662 mother/family blogs as Modern Mom, Mommy Track'd and Cool Mom Picks are joined by countless others looking to cash in on moms. Technorati links to more than 1,000 blogs tagged parenting.

Michelle Madhok left her position as director-editorial products for women at AOL in 2004 to launch SheFinds, a site dedicated to women's style and fashion advice that she extended last April to cater more to moms with a separate site, SheFindsMom. Though she garners a mere 4,000 visitors a day to SheFindsMom -- a far cry from AOL's 112 million unique visitors a month -- she charges far less and offers far more. For cost per thousand of just $80, Ms. Madhok offers marketers customized, dedicated e-mails to her database of newsletter subscribers and offers sponsorships of shopping guides for products including underwear and Uggs. Through such sponsorships, Ms. Madhok said, she has helped "build the trust factor" for online lingerie retailer Bare Necessities and has sold $200,000 worth of Uggs.

'Momtrepreneurs'
Liz Gumbinner co-founded Cool Mom Picks last year with Kristen Chase, a blog buddy she had met only online. She had coached many a client at agency David & Goliath in Los Angeles, where she is now part-time creative director, that "the blog world is [ripe] to be targeted" and she wanted to put her money where her mouth was. Now, the site, which features reviews of non-mainstream baby gifts and gear that appeals to hip parents -- mostly products created by other "momtrepreneurs" -- gets roughly 1,200 unique visitors a day.

Ads come mainly from past mom-made products it has featured, while some are sold through blogads.com and some come from CNN or Scholastic. The site is definitely on the radar of major media, Ms. Gumbinner said, as at least four "really obscure companies we've written up all got spreads in Real Simple." Major marketers, too, are currying favor with Cool Mom Picks, with General Motors flying a Cool Picks writer out recently to review its new Chevy Malibu.

Mommy Track'd likewise leads readers of its Deals & Discounts section to favorite online destinations, all of which are mom-owned and -operated. But unlike many of its upstart compatriots in the cool-spotting trend, Mommy Track'd was able to lure an exclusive deal during its first holiday season last year with Gap Inc. for Gap, Old Navy and its new shoe store, Piperlime. Mommy Track'd founder and CEO Amy Keroes says the deal was based on more than the fact that she had, until the site's launch last fall, been the retailer's senior corporate counsel for its advertising-related legal work.

Advertorial for Gap
Gap, in fact, won praise as an innovative marketer in an AP wire story for signing on to the site and garnered far more than traditional banner ads. In November, Mommy Track'd began wrapping Gap's messaging in its own to hook advertorial with tips and suggestions, including picking out offerings that overextended moms might especially like. The site featured a promotion for Gap Inc.'s Options card (good at Gap, Old Navy and Banana Republic).

"Our ad offerings are more customized, more interactive," Ms. Keroes said. To wit: A recent promotion with Netflix tied a giveaway of a year's subscription to the service to an article on the site about "Sherrybaby" director Laurie Collyer just as the film was being released on DVD.

Now, Mommy Track'd is bringing on apparel retailer Gymboree and has a number of other advertisers on the hook. Ms. Keroes' pitch focuses on more than just visitor traffic. "We say, 'You're reaching your pure target demographic ... and they're listening," she said.

Lolita Carrico, founder of the blog Modern Mom, is beginning to offer big numbers. She launched the site, which is aimed at helping moms balance their busy lives, two years ago. Today, she gets 500,000 unique visitors a month, and has more than 100,000 subscribers to her newsletter. In addition to plans to develop other Modern Mom media offline, including testing a concept of Modern Mom moms'-night-out clubs, Ms. Carrico has forged a relationship with nail-polish manufacturer Essie to offer a Modern Mom color (that camouflages chips far more easily than today's hip darker colors).

The partnership is an indicator of things to come, she said, "as marketers are getting hip to the fact that they need to address moms more directly."

Is Baby Wearing Green for St Pattys?

Saint Patrick's day is right around the corner!  Is baby wearing his or her GREEN?:)

Green Baby Socks from Polka Dot Whale

Green Baby Hat from Portland Beanie Company

Green Froggy Friend

Green Rose Pedal Tu-tu


For bed time reading on St. Patty's

Day Outfit

Check out the Chicago River which was dyed green for St. Patty's back in 2005....right next to the shopping Miracle Mile:).

Notes from the Trenches

One of the first thing you learn about Notes from the Trenches is " I have seven children. Is there really anything else you need to know?"

And thus starts a very clever blog (that like all mom blogs, has a voice that is honest and sharing)...

Two of our favorite posts:

132 things i love about you: a birthday letter
Forty Things To Do Before I Turn Forty:

 

Project Cuddle, Cuddle Bear

A little bear goes a long way!  New to Polka Dot Whale is this cute, little cuddle bear....specifically priced to support Project Cuddle. 

This is a great way to give support to others while shopping. Priced at $5.00.....100% of the purchase price of the Project Cuddle Teddy Topper will be donated to support the efforts of Project Cuddle!  Make sure you "place one in your shopping buggy" when shopping their popular baby boy and baby girl selection.