It’s A Minti Winter

These mornings there is a chill in the air that says winter is on its way. Luckily we have got winter covered with our new range of Minti gear.

For babies up to 24 months of age, we have Big Comfy Pants. Made of cotton, these are stretchy to fit active little bodies and they keep little legs covered. Also popular are our Baby Crawler Trackies. These are fitted around the ankle to keep out drafts and have padding at the knee. It’s comfort, style and practicality in one great garment.

How cute is the Baby Mitten Hooded Top with the happy face? It’s not too heavy so it won’t restrict your child’s movements but it is oh so warm. The happy face will appeal to kids. In fact, it’s hard not to smile when you see the big cartoon grin.

We love the Long Sleeve Baby Tee with the slogan that says “I am new”. It is also available in a long sleeved one piece suit, as a bib and a blanket.

Finally, let me show you another favourite. This is the Long Sleeve “I am Awesome” Tee made of jersey cotton. I’m sure your children don’t need to tell people they are awesome, but a little forewarning doesn’t hurt.

The Minti range is available in coordinating patterns and colours so it’s easy to create a warm and stylish wardrobe for your little one this winter.

Lil Rocker Tee

The cooler weather is on the way so it’s time to start looking for clothes that will suit this between-seasons period. Long sleeve tees are great at this time of year but make sure you choose a tee with style. They are great worn on their own or as an extra layer of warmth under their jumper (or should I say hoodie?)

We love this Lil Rocker Tee by Munster. It’s funky and it’s fun, like all Munster fashions. It has a generous cut and a round neckline for comfort. The tee is made with quality 100% jersey cotton that washes beautifully.

The tee is available in a range of sizes to fit boys aged 2 to 10. Your 2 year old will love the faces on the little finger puppets while your 10 year old is more likely to appreciate the metal salute pose of the hand. They learn that early, don’t they? It is also available in a range of smaller sizes.

This is new in stock and is therefore still available in all sizes but don’t wait too long. The Munster range sells out quickly.

Oh, while you’re looking….your little man will love the new Munster Masked Hoodie, too.

Munster really knows what boys are looking for in style, don’t they?

Why Modern Cloth Nappies Are The Best Choice

With the way that the world is going today, it is only a matter of time until we are literally up to our necks in our own garbage. Of course, we can all do something small to try to slow down the increasing landfill problem; one of these comes in the form of re-useable nappies. However, this is nothing like the ones our mothers and grandmothers used!

Today, aboutaboy.com.au has one of the most innovative nappies on the market and we highly recommend them. Called Cute Tooshies, this is a re-useable nappy that can be washed and pegged on the line to dry. This ‘one size fits all’ nappy is a covering holding a bamboo lining and/or booster set which can be folded for smaller babies to give up to a full twelve layers of absorbent material.

Cute Tooshies come in a host of very interesting colours. They are easy to use, closing with snaps that not only adjust the size around the waist, they adjust around the leg openings too. The nappy is virtually leak proof.

Indeed, so clever are the snappers and the lining that the whole thing can be used on newborn babies right up until they are potty trained. Just imagine how much money you’ll save on nappies over that period.

The nappy comes with care instructions so that you get the longest life possible out of the product. Like all modern cloth nappies, they don’t tolerate high temperatures so they can’t be tossed into the clothes dryer. But think how much money you’ll save by just hanging them in the sun which will help to sanitise them, too.

This would make an ideal gift for mothers-to-be or for baby showers. Mother Earth will appreciate the gesture too!

Water Safety

Boys! Who can keep up with them?

Filled with energy, the mix of boys and water has the potential to be dangerous. It is vital to keep a close eye on them when they are messing around near water. Have you ever noticed that boys tend to feed on each other’s energy levels? They get louder and faster and more excited as play goes on. They don’t think about safety, do they?

It’s usually boys that go running along the edge of the pool or dive bombing their mates in the water. They are the ones who are risking injury.

Teaching your children to swim is a must, of course, but so is teaching them how to play safely near water. Swimming lessons can begin before your child can even walk and that’s also a very practical way to start teaching water safety.

There are some key things that they need to learn.

• Never go near the water unless there is an adult supervising.
• If they are at the beach, swim between the flags.
• Pay attention to the lifesavers on patrolled beaches, and do as they are told.
• No diving into water.
• Don’t run on wet concrete especially around the edges of a pool.
• Dive bombing can be dangerous and put their friend’s safety at risk.
• Don’t go into the deep end without adult supervision.
• Wear proper swimming gear so they aren’t weighted down with clothing.

First aid is also essential for anyone old enough to learn it because they may well save a younger sibling or friend.

Water safety isn’t about fear; it’s about respect. If you can teach your boy to respect the water he will have a fun time in complete safety.

The Kush-ee Mat

We are very pleased to introduce the Kush-ee Mat to our range. This self inflating play mat is a very cool idea and can be taken just about anywhere with you. It doesn’t come in all the cutesy little colours that are associated with newborn babies either. Instead, we offer bold stripes or stars in greens and blues. They look fun and exciting.

The size is very handy at 120 x 120 x 2.5cms and the whole thing weighs in at just one kilo. Since it is waterproof and washable also, there is no need to worry about any little accidents.

Underneath there are some nonslip dots and an inlet for the mat to inflate itself. Another clever feature is that the mat is warm when the weather is cooler and cool when the weather warms up, so the baby remains comfortable and happy at all times.

To change the look of the mat there are spare covers available in both the star and stripe design.

The Kush-ee Mat also comes with a puncture repair kit and full instructions on how to take care of the mat. This, and the nylon strap to keep it rolled – plus a spare one - and the handy shoulder sack to carry it in, all makes for a very versatile piece of equipment that every mother and child will love.

Gift Certificates

We all know how difficult it can be to buy a gift for someone on a special occasion. Unless we know that person very well, and we are aware of their likes and dislikes, chances are we will give them something that they really don’t need or want. However, one way to get around this sticky problem is to consider gift certificates.

In particular, when someone has a child, or is about to give birth, the tendency is for people to rush in with layettes and all kinds of goodies for the baby while it is tiny. Although this is a lovely idea, there are only so many outfits a tiny child can wear before they grow out of them. The mother usually ends up recycling some rather beautiful things to friends and relatives and the child might not even get to use some of them.

We have a whole range of goodies for babies, toddlers and older children and this may be the best gift that any mother could ever hope to get. She can take advantage of any sales that come up or buy the last in a particular line that proved to be very popular, for example. In fact, she could really stretch those dollars on the certificate to get the best possible value and, since babies and children are notoriously expensive, this would indeed be the perfect gift.

The same could be done for children too once they start to care about what they are wearing. Although people just assume a child will wear whatever you give them, most parents know better! A gift certificate will let you and your child choose an outfit together.

The gift certificates could be given for just about any reason and makes gift giving much easier all round.

Australia Day For Kids

There is such a lot happening on Australia Day. Some of the activities around the country are really exciting for kids so we thought we’d share some of our finds with you.

Online

DLTK has a lot of great craft ideas for kids but we love the paper plate crafts because the materials are so easy to find. Your kids might like to make a koala, one of Australia’s most loved symbols.

The Australia Day website has some fun activities for kids, too. Everything from colouring in to crosswords and puzzles; they cover a good age range for kids. Oh, they have ‘join the dots’ as well. I used to love doing those.

Offline

The Australia Day website has details of many of the celebrations being held around the country. Just have a look at the map to see how widespread the party will be.

In Melbourne you can be part of the flag raising ceremony at Melbourne Town Hall. It’s free and family friendly.

In Hobart, spend the day at the Sandy Bay Regatta.

Brisbane has a full day of celebrations including a flag raising ceremony and street performances in South Bank.

Don’t forget to look in your local papers to see what is happening in your area. Someone close to home will have the BBQ fired up with a sausage sizzle to tempt you out of your home to enjoy the day.

Happy Australia Day!