INTERIOR DESIGN AND FURNITURE GUIDE

BABY FURNITURE IDEAS

Buy High Chairs

August 31st, 2009

Are you Looking to Buy High Chairs for a Little Prince or Princess?

Mom to Mom Advice to Buy High Chairs

It’s the moment the whole family had been waiting for: Our seven-month-old princess is holding court in the family dining room. She’s sitting up in her high chair and gobbling up the mashed veggies and cereals.

As this was such a milestone for her—and for us—you can just imagine how difficult it was for us to decide on what kind of “throne” to give our little royalty.

Graco High ChairYes, choosing the right high chair turned out to be such a big production! And to think that this is not the first time we’re buying:

 We have a 7-year-old. But I guess the seven-year gap made us conveniently forget certain things. And after seven years since we last went shopping for high chairs, boy, did we see a lot of new stuff!

 We have done the work, so let us share with you the fruits of our exhausting, sometimes comical, but ultimately fun labor:

 

 
Stokke High Chair*Always seek for your baby’s comfort. Seats should offer lounge-style reclining and ergonomic support.
*Be practical and check for several adjustments for foot rest, tray and seat height so the high chair can accommodate your growing baby—and we all know how they grow up really fast.
*Our babies don’t have table manners! Food lands on every nook and cranny of the chair. So pick a high chair that can be easily cleaned and washed—look for dishwasher safe straps, insert trays, machine washable seat cushions, etc.

 

 
Fisher Price High Chair*My baby easily gets bored (don’t they all?), so additional features, like places to clip on toys, teethers, and other knickknacks, are a good idea to keep her engaged while feeding.
*High chairs with wheels are good for “active” babies and families—when feeding time can happen in any part of the house. Just make sure that these wheels lock!
*If your living space is small, consider a chair that is compact and can easily be folded.

Of course, it goes without saying that you should make sure of the following: lead-free paint, working safety belts, and not a trace of any kind of toxic materials when you buy high chairs.

Vicky (mom to a 7-year-old boy and a seven-month-old baby girl)

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Children’s Bedroom Furniture

August 27th, 2009

Children’s Bedroom Furniture

You’ve got the crib and/or bed down, as well as the dressing table. What other pieces of furniture could you need for your child’s nursery or bedroom?

Accent bedroom furniture can help your child’s room become more organized and put together, so check out the following children’s accent pieces and see if any of them would suit your baby’s sleeping space:

 

Kids Storage FurnitureA really beautiful storage addition to your child’s room is the Babyletto Wooden 9 Piece Kids Storage Furniture Cabinet Set. The set includes 2 two-door cupboards, 4 open shelf units, and 3 base drawers for endless storage possibilities. The entire set is finished in a gorgeous espresso tone, and the two cabinets feature reversible panels that can either be a chalkboard or a cork board – whatever you feel like making them! Use the different shelving and drawer units for clothes, books, toys, linens…the list goes on and on!

 

Teens Bedroom FurnitureEven if your little one is still in a crib, a single nightstand or a pair offers great surface space and even drawer space. For boys, the South Shore Furniture Cosmos Nightstand is an ideal choice. Because of its black/silver colour scheme and built-in CD holder, it will grow up with him. Plus, it features an open shelf and drawer for whatever storage he needs.

 

Childrens-Bedroom-FurnitureFor girls, try the Powell LittleMissMatched™ SwitchaRoo Youth 3-Drawer Rolling Nightstand. It has three interchangeable coloured/patterned panels for the drawers that your child can choose from to make the nightstand their own! It also has rolling castors for mobility in case you ever want to change its position.

 

PkilinoThe innovative Pkolino Klick Desk is a great space saver for any child’s room! Available in orange, green, or red, this unique desk set clicks together when not in use, and pulls apart revealing base storage in the vinyl-padded seat. It’s a perfect place for your child to read, colour, or study!

 

Kids BookcaseAvailable in a natural finish or lacquered, the Little Colorado Kids Bookcase Organizer combines a bookcase and 6-bin toy organizer together to create an all-around storage space for your kids. Since it comes in a naturally, untreated finish, if you and your child want to paint it, you can! Show off your kid’s artistic talents and store their books and toys with this unit from Little Colorado.

 

Kids Room StorageCombine a selection of accent furniture with the Lea Hangtime Kids Room Storage – Student Desk and Dressing Bureau Set with Bookcases. What does this grand set feature? It comes with a 4-drawer dressing chest, a student desk with hutch, bookcase, and a light bridge. Finished in a warm brown khaki finish, and constructed of special hardwood solids/veneers, this set is sure to match in either a girl or boy’s room.

 

Girls Vanity TablePlease your little princess with the KidKraft Deluxe Wood Makeup Girls Vanity Table with Chair and Mirror. It’s perfect if your little girl loves to dress up and pretend she’s getting ready for her very own ball! Featuring four shelves, a three-way mirror, and chair, all in a fresh white finish, it’s sure to match the décor that your girl’s room already has.

 

Kids BeanbagEvery kid wants a bean bag to hang out on in their room! The Elite Lifestyle Collection Kid’s Large Bean Bag comes in multiple finishes, from blue to pink, so it will definitely suit any gender. Finished in high-quality vinyl, it’s sure to last for years, and it’s been double-zipped with a childproof zipper to make sure your son or daughter doesn’t tear it apart!
 

Treasure Chest ToysThe Early Childhood Resources 4 Pack Kids Indoor or Outdoor Treasure Chest Toys Storage Box is not only a great deal – four toy chests for $49.00 – it’s also a great way to help your children’s toys stay organized! Suitable for outdoor or indoor use, the four chests are colour coded red, blue, green, and yellow, so your kids can put their items in the bins according to category. For example, stuffed toys could go in the red bin, puzzles and games in the blue bin, etc. Plus, because the bins are shaped like a treasure chest, they’ll be excited to put their toys away as their very own pieces of treasure!

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Potty Training Toilet

August 20th, 2009

Potty Training Toilet

Mom to Mom Advice

Potty Training ToiletPerhaps most parents look forward to this stage because it means the end of changing soiled diapers. But when should potty training begin? I began researching potty training when my daughter was 10 months old, because my in-laws bought my daughter her very own potty training toilet.

I was quickly overwhelmed by the diversity of advice: Train early. Don’t train until they are two years old. Give rewards. Wait for them to show an interest in the potty. The advice went on and on.

Boys Potty Training ToiletI tried a schedule of sitting on the potty training toilet which usually meant sitting there with her and reading books for half an hour without any result. After a few weeks without results, I was pretty frustrated.

What ended up working for her was simply letting her run around at home with a bare bottom. She had accidents on the floor, of course. But each time that happened, I would gently remind her, “When you feel like you need to pee, say ‘I need to pee’, and go to your potty” (I’d placed her potty in the hallway for easy access.)

Girls Potty Training ToiletI wanted her to tell me when she needed to pee so that I’d have some warning, because frankly sometimes there is no warning, just a sudden puddle on the floor.

After a few days of accidents, she started getting into the habit of saying, “I need to pee”, pulling off her pants and underwear, and running to sit on her potty. She is now potty trained mere weeks before her third birthday. Hurrah!

There are probably as many potty training toilets out there as there are pieces of advice on potty training, but one is sure to fit the particular potty-training style of your child.

Potty Training RewardsSome potty trainers are musical, others are made specially for your little prince or princess, and there is even a potty with rewards that lights up and sings when your child successfully uses it!

Krista (mom of two)

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Fun Kids Toys

August 20th, 2009

Kids Toys – Puzzle & Games Oh My!

If you want to encourage your children to use their active imagination and develop their thinking & social skills, support play time with kids toys! If you’re tired of watching them sit in front of the TV for hours, a new toy that they’ll be excited about will inspire play time instead of TV time.

Here are some fun, special, and exciting examples of toys, puzzles and games that your children will love to play with again and again!

Girls DollhouseStanding tall at 51 inches high, the KidKraft Savannah Dollhouse will instantly be adored by your little girl. The Savannah dollhouse features three levels and six rooms for tons of space, and it accommodates any dolls that your daughter owns less than 11.5 inches in height.

 

Play KitchensBoys and girls alike will both enjoy playing in their own kitchen, such as the Melissa & Doug Deluxe Play Kitchen Center. It features a stove, fridge/freezer, oven, microwave, and a sink, so your children can pretend they’re cooking a meal of their very own.

 

Play CakeTo complete the kitchen, they’ll need play food, like the KidKraft Birthday Play Cake. It’s actually a puzzle and has 22 pieces to help your child develop their puzzle-solving skills.

 

Pizza Party Set

 

 

 

There’s also the wooden Melissa & Doug Pizza Party Set, with approximately 50 pieces, allowing your child to customize their pizza’s toppings.

 

Climber Toys

 

Get your kids to have fun climbing and crawling outdoors with the Early Childhood Resources Feber Outdoor or Indoor Activity Train Climber Toys. You can even bring it inside when the weather is poor outside! It will resist warping and fading when left in the sun, and it’s non-toxic for your child’s safety.

 

Art EaselEncourage your child’s artistic development with an easel, such as the Pkolino Multi-Use Art Easel.

 

Kids Paint

 

 

 

This particular easel can be used in many different ways – a regular easel, a chalkboard, a whiteboard, or even a puppet theatre! You’ll need paint supplies to accompany the easel, so check out the Melissa & Doug Easel Companion Set. It comes with poster paint, spill-proof paint cups, paintbrushes, easel paper, rainbow chalk, and a dry erase marker and eraser.

 

Stuffed GiraffeAt 56 inches in height, the Melissa & Doug Giraffe Plush Stuffed Animal is so lifelike, your child will think it’s playing with a real giraffe! It’s built to be extra strong, but is also super soft and huggable, so your son or daughter will never want to let it go!

 

Kidkraft Train SetThe KidKraft Ride Around Town Train Set actually comes with its own table to help bring your child’s playtime off the floor and at eye level. This wonderful wooden train set comes with approximately 100 pieces, including tracks, figures, foliage, and even a bridge piece. It also comes with two storage bins that go on either side of the table to keep the set organized when disassembled.

 

Sound PuzzleWhen your child places the correct piece in the right slot, the Melissa & Doug Musical Instruments Sound Wooden Puzzle plays sounds, encouraging your children to continue! Help them learn about the musical instruments and the sounds they make with this audio puzzle from Melissa & Doug.

 

Inflatable Water SlideIf you really want to give your children a great play place, the Blast Zone The Crocodile Isle Inflatable Kids Outdoor Water Park & Slide Bouncer is the ultimate in fun. It helps beat the heat in the summer with its built in pool, and gets your children exercising with the step ladder up to the two slides (where two kids can race each other to the bottom!). It inflates in seconds and comes with a handy carrying case for travel and storage purposes.  

 

Emily Baby Furniture & Design Guide

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Fisher Price Baby Bouncer Chair

August 20th, 2009

Fisher Price Baby Bouncer Chair

Mom To Mom Advice

Fisher Price Bouncer ChairDuring the first months after my daughter’s birth, our nights were a blur of carrying her around and around our tiny apartment, swinging her in her infant car seat and going for long walks at 1 a.m. just to get her to fall asleep. 

When she was three months old, I remember complaining to a friend in Toronto just how sore my back and arms were from all the carrying and rocking.  In kindness and sympathy my friend promptly bought and  shipped me a Fisher Price bouncer chair .

At first, my daughter wasn’t heavy enough to bounce herself, so my husband and I would take turns sitting in front of her and gently bouncing the chair until she nodded off. And once she figured out that a little baby kick makes this bouncer go; she started bouncing herself off to sleep without any help from me. No more sore arms. No more aching back!

This bouncer is very handy during the day time as well. As with most babies, my daughter loved to be in the middle of the action at all times. The sturdy, plastic handles cleverly located on either side of the chair make transporting it from room to room a breeze. With a removable arch of soft, colourful toys to grab and pull, a baby will be happily entertained long after the adults become boring. This nifty little chair has a permanent place on my list of baby must-haves.

Krista (mom to two)

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Baby Furniture and Design Ideas

August 9th, 2009

Welcome to baby furniture and design ideas!  More to come soon…

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