Every child has a ton of small stuff that needs to be tidied away and stored – matchbox cars, dolls clothes, building blocks, train set pieces the list could go on and on. The obvious answer to this issue is a storage container of one kind or another. For the most part such containers are wicker, canvas or some kind of very plain plastic – not terribly inspiring. Well, here’s something to change all of that – check out these funky alternatives to the usual drab storage solutions:

These giant Lego storage boxes come in four different sizes: large (with 8 Lego knobs on), medium (with 4 Lego knobs on), small (with 2 Lego knobs on) and the smallest version with a single Lego knob. They come in lots of colours and can be stacked together just like real Lego. They look so great that they would be a funky addition to any playroom or baba’s bedroom. I’m going to get a few for Mr Moo’s bedroom, my only problem is deciding which size and colour combination to get.

Amusingly, you can also get a storage box in the shape of the celebrated Lego head – I’m not sure if I fancy the idea of a big yellow head sitting on a shelf in my house (those eyebrows have always kind of freaked me out…) but it is a design classic and a bit of fun. The boxes range from £22.99 for the largest box to £6.99 for the smallest. Say good bye to wicker baskets and canvas boxes for ever !

This company was founded by Debbe after she came up with an idea on how to keep her nephew Oliver from losing things. Oliver’s Labels produce some really fab labels (well with that name I’m sure you didn’t think they made lawnmowers….).

You can chose from Iron-on or sticky labels (Stick-eez) for clothing. There are also shoe labels, mini labels and bag tags to use on non-clothing items. I know what you are thinking, sure these labels are great but there are plenty of lovely labels out there. But what makes Oliver’s Labels different is their really clever Found-it tracking system.

The Found-it system connects you to your baba’s things via your email address. When ordering from Oliver’s Labels you are given the option of having a Found-it tracking code printed on your labels. If some one finds something owned by your baba that has one of these labels on it, they will be prompted to log on to the Oliver’s Labels website and enter the tracking code. The company then notifies you via the email address you provide at the time of purchase. As the company acts as an interface between you and the person who finds the item, nobody has to exchange personal information. How clever is that? Cue emotional reunion between your baba and his favourite lunchbox, best sweatshirt or most-loved teddy.

Children are always losing things and while Oliver’s Labels won’t guarantee that those items will be returned safely, it certainly substantially increases the odds. And the best bit? The addition of the Found-it tracking number to your label order is absolutely free !

The Iron-on and Stick-eez labels are $19.99 for 60 labels and they can be shipped internationally.

Already looking forward to the next instalment from my Canadian correspondent…..

Deborah’s canvases come in two sizes (either 12” x 12” or 10” or 10”) and are painted to order so you can chose to incorporate a special baba’s name  and other personal details into the painting. While Deborah’s website shows a number of different designs, she also says that if there is something else that you would like to be painted or would like a different sized canvas, you can contact her. The canvases are €80 each for the larger size or €170 for three of the smaller sized canvases.

I can just imagine how pleased Mr Moo would be with a painting of a race car  with his name on it and while Lollipop is too young to appreciate it now, wouldn’t any little girl love the idea that her dolls and teddies read a fairytale about her while she is out of the room (a kind of Toy Story meets Jackanory scenario)! I reckon these bespoke canvases would make a very special gift for any baba.

Helen Gordon is a designer based in the UK who designs and manufactures the most gorgeous things – Her range includes clean and classic designs, everything from pinafores to wallpaper, children’s aprons to tote bags and all in fantastic retro prints. According to Helen’s website, all of the products are made from the highest quality fabrics using ethical manufacturers.

Have a look at these delightful things:

I’m finding that owl print cushion very hard to resist……

The new Bibi Strolli Rider Comfort + has all of the benefits of the original version (which I extolled at length here) but has been improved as follows:

1. A new seat. Where the previous version had a saddle type seat, the new model has a padded seat which includes a back support;
2. Safety belt. Attached to the new seat, this is a super addition if you have a little wriggler on your hands;
3. Sculpted handle. The foam encased handle will be more comfortable for your baba to hold onto and lean on;
4. Newly designed wheels. These have been designed to run even smoother than those on the previous version.

These are fantastic improvements to what was already a fantastic product. A year on, we still use ours every day, Mr Moo continues to love it and it’s as good as new.

Best £89.95 I’ve ever spent !

Above and below are rare glimpses of Mr McSpendy  as he works his magic in my parent’s garden on Monday.

To create these enormous bubbles Mr McSpendy is using a gadget called “The Bubble Thing”  by Klutz which is quite tricky to find but well worth the search. I’ve found it on a site called www.bubbleinc.co.uk (see half way down the page ‘Book and Thing’). Unfortunately, the site only caters for UK shipping but you can contact them for pricing for international shipping. The Book and Thing comes in at £10.99 plus shipping and it has more than earned its keep in our house – everyone who has seen us blow these giant bubbles has had to have a go. We were barely indoors for the whole weekend. The babas just loved the bubbles (it seems that bursting a life size bubble is a source of much joy) and the utter calm and relaxation that descends upon you when you blow these bubbles is amazing, I’m not kidding when I say that it could save you a few sessions of therapy !!

But you don’t need  The Bubble Thing to have fun and, in fact, its quite large and takes a bit of practice so Mr Moo preferred a slightly smaller option (see below):

In this picutre, Mr Moo is using one of the giant bubble wands that comes with the Bubble Bonkas pack. You can buy this pack from ebay and it costs just under £10 including shipping to Ireland. The pack includes two bubble wands (one round and one star shaped), a container for dipping the wand into the solution and a small bottle of solution. While you won’t be able to blow bubbles your baba could fit into (like you can with The Bubble Thing), the round wand that comes with this pack easily blows bubbles that are two feet wide or (like Mr Moo’s masterpiece above) a long bubble ‘tunnel’ that could be up to four or five feet long.

If you can’t get one of these bubble wands, you could make your own wand using some wire or, if you are strong, a wire coat hanger. Whatever you use to blow your bubbles, the key to success is the bubble solution that you use. The recipe below is the best one we’ve tried. The ingredients are not expensive and each batch will give you and your babas so much enjoyment.

12 cups of water

1 cup of corn starch (we used corn flour)

2 tablespoons of baking powder (NOT baking soda)

1 cup of washing up liquid (use Fairy or other good quality brand…the cheap stuff just won’t cut it)

I’m not sure why this odd combination of ingredients works, it just does.

Please give this a try, you will not regret it I promise !

The individual pieces of laundry measure approximately 3.5 x 3inches each, the pegs are 1 inch long and the clothes line is 1 metre long so, sizewise, the finished product is not too unwieldy and could be hung on a bedroom door or on the wall over your baba’s bed. Each letter costs just €2.70 so unless you’ve given your baba a ridiculously long name (like Christabella-Evangeline or Massimiliano-Bartholomew) then this is a very cost effective piece of personalised decor! If you did name your baba Christabella-Evangeline and don’t have a wall or wallet big enough, don’t worry, you could just go for “My Room” instead.

There are three colour schemes to chose from (Jungle, Party and Pastel – in the order shown above) and although it doesn’t say so in the listing, I would expect that you can specify the clothing type and colour for each letter that you need.

The name garlands come in lovely gift boxes:

Given the presentation, personalisation and sheer novelty factor, I think that this would make a really special gift for any baba.

Recently he has consistently been opting for audio books and so I have expanded our modest collection of story CDs. At first, we used the CDs which came with a few of his story books but these proved to be a little too short for Mr Moo (I would have just settled down with a cup a tea and my laptop when I would hear shouts from Mr Moo’s bedroom of “put it on again Mammy!”). Instead, we now use cds with collections of stories on them and Mr Moo just loves them and drifts happily off to sleep in the world of the hundred acre wood or Peter Rabbit’s burrow.

So far, my absolute favourite audio books are these dramatisations of Winnie The Pooh and The House at Pooh Corner (I am happy to report that Mr Moo is also a huge fan!):

£8.07

£8.55

These adaptations of the classic A A Milne stories are read by a phenomenal cast. Here’s a list of some of the main stars:

Pooh – Stephen Fry
Piglet – Jane Horrocks
Eeyore – Geoffrey Palmer
Kanga – Judi Dench
Owl – Michael Williams

Combine these immediately recognisable voices with sprinklings of music and understated but effective sound effects and you’ll find yourself unable to turn these CDs off. They really are special (although admittedly I was a Pooh fan to start off with!). They are fantastic for long journeys in the car (each box contains two CDs so they are a great length) and are great value for money.

Mr Moo’s other favourites include stories from Charlie and Lola, Fireman Sam and Beatrix Potter (which also has an impressive cast) but I really do have a soft spot for that ‘Bear of very little brain’.

But here we are in County Kerry for our long awaited week of family fun and almost since the moment we arrived, it has not stopped raining. And I’m not talking about those light droplets of rain which can come as a welcome relief on balmy July afternoons……No ! I’m talking about biblical, torrential rain. The kind that makes you wonder whether you should just stop wasting time and build that ark!

I’m happy to say that the terrible weather has not stopped us enjoying ourselves. We’ve found lots to see and do. Armed with our waterproofs, a collection of umbrellas and a determined holiday spirit we are having a great time. Who knew that ice cream tastes just as good when its pouring?

But all this reliance on weather proof clothing meant that when I spotted a Hatley raincoat hanging outside a shop in Kenmare, I just had to take a closer look. Hatley make the most gorgeous matching raincoats, wellies and umbrellas. They team really funky children’s patterns with simple designs. Their raincoats are lightweight but breathable and comfy (they are lined with really soft terry cotton).They are very malleable too, so your baba can get on with their daily business of causing mayhem without their motions being restricted by the rigid fabric that’s used on a lot of raincoats.

I love the fact that Hatley have transformed a necessary piece of kit into something really interesting, I just adore the Later Aligator raincoat for boys and the Farmer Jill one for girls.

Later Alligator

Farmer Jill

Children love being out in the rain, now there’s no reason your baba can’t look fabulous when they are squelching in mud and splashing in puddles.

Price-wise, depending on the pattern you chose, they come in at somewhere between £22-£27 for the raincoats, £10-£20 for the wellies and around £12 for the umbrellas.

There’s a large selection on Amazon to chose from.

Here are some of the lovely things they have for a fashionable young lady or gentleman’s Summer 2011 wardrobe:

£13

£8

£9

£8

£12

£8

£7

£9

£8

£13