I know they are not new and lots and lots of parents use them but I am Loving the Grobag for my 2-year-old daughter.

Ever since she was three days old and would get out of her swaddle, my daughter (she’s a pint-sized Houdini) has always kicked off her blankets and moves around a lot in her sleep.

Grobag keeps her snug and warm.

I have two on rotation, including one that the car seat buckle can slip through so there’s no need to distrurb there sleep even more when we are going out…and going home…at night.

Love these groovy top and pants from UK designer Suzi Waren who operates as Twisted Twee. The Shakespeare outfit appeals to my literary sensibilities…and reminds me of the four years I spent teaching English in London! The tea combo is quintessentially English and very retro. Suzi Warren’s designs have an eccentric English-feel and are certainly not for the parent who loves the cutesy-cute pastel look. 

The pantlet combos come in various designs that are refreshingly absent of cutesyness (if there is such a word!).

 25 pounds per set and Twisted Twee ships internationally.

My hubby and I love a bit of Iron Maiden (I know you wouldn’t know it from my very sweet website here!) so we were very pleased that our two-year-old started doing some baby-head banging when we played Run to the Hills in the car yesterday.

How cool is this toddler tee from Band Tees? $18 (USD). A great item for head-banger parents!

Band Tees is a US-based online store but ships internationally.

Obviously we are responsible parents and wouldn’t play anything that has swearing in it but we are trying to expand her musical tastes beyond The Wiggles (she also loves Led Zeppelin and Rush!).

These funky little shoes by Livie & Luca are just divine and available in Australia from new online boutique Madison Lane.

Having just spend $70 on a pair of patent leather Clarks shoes for my nearly two-year-old, I was pleasantly surprised by the quality and look of the Livie & Luca shoes and especially the price! $39.95 is very reasonable for these gorgeous shoes.

I am very pedantic about my daughter’s shoes. I think it is incredibly important for little ones to have good quality shoes. My daughter has plenty of time to squeeze her feet into cheap and uncomfortable shoes when she is older but in the meantime I am spending more on her shoes than mine!

Livie & Luca shoes are made from soft leather, allowing the feet to breathe and are really flexible with a lightweight sole to help with your little one’s stability and coordination.

She wore them to Church this morning and we had several compliments and my daughter was very taken with them as well. “Shoes” is one of her latest words and she delighted in wandering around in her gorgeous red shoes in Red Wings design (available is sizes 4-10).

It’s amazing to witness the start of what will be a lifelong love affair with shoes!

Madison Lane is a great online stop for funky and cute shoes.

If only I could get these Livie & Luca Mary Janes in my size…

Super cute new collection of baby clothes from the ever-reliable Fisher Price (and damn it, just another way for me to spend more money increasing the profits of the toy giant!).
Friends of the Rainforest is a sweet collection of play suits, rompers, tops, pants and bibs - vibrant, cheerful and a great alternative to the boring pastels that seem to dominate the baby clothing market.

Available in Australia from Target.

My 20-month-old daughter was given a pair of Padraig slippers for Christmas from her grandpa, who lives in Cornwall, England.

These slippers are simply gorgeous. Made in British Columbia, Canada, Padraig slippers are handcrafted from pure sheep wool, sheepskin and leather. Padraig was started 29 years ago by Helen Long, who when at home with her then small children, reignited her love of wool that started during her childhood in Scotland. It was actually her son who provided the seeds of inspiration for the slippers. He simply wouldn’t keep any footwear on while playing on their cold, concrete basement floor. When Helen saw him curling his toes with enjoyment on a sheepskin rug she had her ‘a-ha’ moment and the first Padraig slippers were created.

I love these slippers. They come in sizes for babies, kids and women. They are great for gifts and I will be sure to continue to use them for my daughter’s growing feet!

I have been having so much fun doing my daughter’s hair with the sweet bows from Bows 2 Cute. It is still dawning on me that I actually have a little girl and that there are all these gorgeous things that I can put in her hair, of which she has an abundance!

The WAHM behind Bows 2 Cute is Jamie, whose daughter inspired her bow-making business. With super-fine, barely-there hair, her daughter needed something that would actually stay in her hair and Jamie started making these cute little bows. The bows are especially effective for babies who have very fine hair, or barely any at all. If your bub has virtually no hair then the Snappies range is the best for you.

As I mentioned, my daughter has very thick hair and lots of it. She was born with a full head of hair, which freaked me out no end and she has never lost it. In fact, she had a mowhawk for the first seven months of her life and I used to get stopped in the street by people who asked if I styled it that way! These bows are great for babies with lots of hair too.

Now, I really love putting bows and clips in her hair, especially to keep her fringe (or ‘bangs’ as you yanks and Canadians call it!) out of her face.

The range of bows available at Bows 2 Cute is very impressive. There are flower, animal and holiday designs, as well as a great range of bow holders to keep them all in place.

I think Jamie is enormously creative. Her bows are very reasonably priced. There are boutiques in my hometown of Melbourne where bows that are nowhere near as nice sell for up to $20 (AUD).

Bows 2 Cute is a great little WAHM business that has stuff that’s perfect for gifts or just to keep your little girl’s hair looking gorgeous!

Bows2Cute.com

I can’t begin to tell you how many pairs of my daughter’s socks we have lost around the house and at her childcare centre. Not to mention the draw full of odd socks. Now that it is winter, I want my baby daughter’s feet to stay warm more than ever but she insists on pulling her socks of and waving them triumphantly, or dropping them out of the pram when I am not looking, thus adding to the growing collection of odd socks I have stuffed in a drawer!

I searched online for baby sock holders and have found a fabulous product that is simple, easy-to-use and most importantly, keeps socks on. They are called and are Australian-designed. (Interestingly, the company that makes these, Innovative Baby Products is located about 15 minutes from where I live in Melbourne’s outer East.)

Chichies are, quite simply, a piece of elastic that you secure with a button around your baby’s ankle and then fold the sock over. I sent my daughter to childcare last week with the Chichies securing her socks in place and you know what, she came home with both socks still on her feet, which was a first!

Chichies baby sock holders come in baby (0-8 months) and toddler (8 months plus). My daughter, who is over one, can still comfortably wear the baby-sized Chichies. These are great, affordable and importantly, keep your baby from losing her socks

chichies.com