baby gifts

Valentine’s Day is a week away and we still have time to consider a gift for our Little Sweethearts. I have always had a passion for hearts, and this is the time of year when we are able to discover an abundance of unique keepsakes not only for ourselves but also for baby. The beauty of buying heart shaped treasures is that they are fashionable year round! The heart is indeed a universal symbol of “Love” and is often used to adorn many elements of clothing and accessories for newborns and infants. If you too hold a passion for hearts, here are a few of my favorites to share!

Yummy, washable cashmere hoodies and blankets by Amber Hagen. These are luxurious to the touch, not to mention how charming your cherub will be wrapped in the cardigan or blanket. The Cardigan is sized 3 month to 24 months and retails for $160.00, well worth the extravagance! The famous tattoo hoodie is the Tinsel Town favorite; celebs such as Julia Roberts, Jada Pinkett Smith, Jennifer Garner and Angelina Jolie are all fans! Stylish gift boxes are available for an additional $5.00 if you are sending as a gift.

While shopping, ease your travels with the ultimate stroller accessory by Dante Beatrix. This tote bag is not only beautifully tailored and timeless it is extremely functional. It was designed to compliment any women’s personal style and store diapers, sippy cups and my favorite All of my Heart soap by Noodle & Boo. The bag has clips to fasten to stroller and extends long enough to to wear across the body like a hip handbag. Dante Beatrix is the bag of choice for famous moms like Marcia Cross and former Bachelorette turned mom Trista Renn. The stroller tote retails for $110.00.

Save the permanent tattoos for others and enjoy a bit of fun with the novelty of a temporary tattoo for your little one. Ooh La la Mama offers the hippest onsies that look adorable with jeans or my personal favorite way to sport, bottomless and chubby legs exposed! You have your choice of zen Buddha, animal print punk star or the Heart Tattoo and several more. These onsies retail for $38.00. So whether you are inclined to purchase one of these contemporary items for your little sweetie for Valentine’s Day or just because, your choice will be heartfelt.

Happiness is finding the sweetest heart for you and baby too!

In my twenty years of professionally shopping the infant and toddler industry I have been introduced to more hair accessory product lines than I can possibly count. While the craftmanship of art-to-wear clips, bands and bows all possessed their own unique charm, I felt like I could flip a coin and always win, as one hair bow collection was just as cute as the next. In all those years and hundreds of designs, only a few truly left a lasting impression due to the unique menagerie of embellishments of the designers. These were the chosen collections I would eventually purchase for the stores.

In my recent research for baby baubles I stumbled upon the most brilliant and innovative hair accessory collection I have seen in years, not to mention the epitome of girlie goodness and fuzzy charm. I am speaking of a Bay Area based company called GiddyGiddy. This hand-stitched, heart felt collaboration of tangle free snap clips is the work of former investment analyst Teri Dimalanta. GiddyGiddy prompts faces to light up like Christmas trees when they see wee little heads adorned with felt cupcakes, flowers and a seasonal favorite, the gingerbread man. Teri’s clips are so unique, I would challenge one to find another more functional and equally creative.

Teri’s inspiration was to tame her daughters hair which we can all relate, as our mane sometimes has a mind and spirit of its own and it all begins at a very young age! GiddyGiddy is designed to hold wisps and sprouts at bay on the crowns of babies and toddlers alike. My favorite way to sport GiddyGiddy is in multiples. It is simply impossible to select just one style; the more you buy, the more she will wear and the cuter she will look! The choices are endless, my personal favorites are the cupcakes, cherries and especially for this time of year, the snowman.

Celebrity babies are playing peek-a-boo with their tresses dressed in clips by GiddyGiddy as well. Moms such as Gwyneth Paltrow, Brooke Shields, Courtney Cox and Angelina Jolie are all satisfied customers. You can find GiddyGiddy in specialty boutiques all over the US as well as Internationally. Online you can find GiddyGiddy at PeanutButter & Lilly. Popular California boutiques such as Kitson in Los Angeles and Fiddlestix in San Francisco are just a few who giddy for GiddyGiddy. For a complete list of retailers, click here.

A Happy Baby is a fully accessorized baby with style!

If the name alone does not dial you right in, the luxe look of these pure angora booties indeed will capture your attention as well as all your neighbors. YoMyBooties are by far the most “over-the-top” baby bootie collection in footwear for the tender toes of babes. These booties are fuzzy friendly and are made of pure Chilean angora.

YoMyBooties are the creation of a chic mama who discovered her passion for knitting by the age of five. Her name is Kris Pettit and her first notion was to do what every new mama does, knit booties to welcome her baby into the world. Kris’s booties had a much different flair than those of most handknit booties. You have to see them to believe it! Many new mamas-to-be were enamored by the unique quality and style of these posh booties, and they requested Kris knit them each a pair. She had several requests from women in her yoga classes as well as mommy and me. She was barely able to keep up with the demand and soon realized she had embarked upon something so spectacular she pursued her passion and soon YoMyBooties was created. This small however, mighty company has product represented in specialty boutiques from Beverly Hills, California all the way to London, England.

YoMyBooties are available in a brilliant array of fashionable hues such as pumpkin,sage, turquoise and the popular fushcia. If you know a baby who needs spoiling and who doesn’t? Look no more, YoMyBooties are for you! These sassy toe and heel accessories must be handled with care to retain their precious appeal. They are to be handwashed and warm air dried, we all know specialness requires some special treatment and these are well worth the time.

Hip Mamas of tinseltown are no strangers to YoMyBooties, the list is endless. Popular parents such as Jerry and Jessica Seinfeld, Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner, Will Ferrell, Jack Black, Debra Messing and Marcia Gay Harden are just to name a few who have either purchased or received these furry delights as gifts. They sell for $60.00 and are the must have for the new babe in your life. YoMyBooties at age 3 months will prepare her for her first pair of Monolo Blahniks and age 21!

New additions have been added to the collection, go to YoMyBooties to experience the pure joy of sassy soft footwear for your newest additions.

Chilly days are now upon us, “fear not” I say as tots are suddenly appearing donned with irresistible, however, fashionable chapeaus with style and whimsicality! These “mopped topped” tykes are spotted in playgrounds, pre-schools, birthday parties, family outings and even in their own backyards.

I am speaking of an innovative, new children’s hip and luxurious accessory company called Zooni. This San Francisco-based sibling duo have made quite a stir in the children’s wear market. They launched their fashion-meets-fun collection of hats in a fall ‘07 kids show last year. Word spread like wildfire as these adorable designs found homes in retailers such as Fred Segal, Giggle, and m. fredric, as well as 70+ more specialty boutiques across the nation.

These fuzzy and unique hats are the successful results of an inspiration had by sisters Michelle and Melissa Jeong. These creative and genius sisters were passionate about creating a line that would celebrate childhood and offer a uniqueness and individuality to each child who wears a Zooni hat. The sassy presence and the flare of couture has embellished the heads of children of popular celebs such as Kate Hudson, Jennifer Garner, Heidi Klum, Courtney Cox, Katie Holmes and Angelina Jolie, just to name a few!

These hats are not only full of expression, they are warm and functional. The trademark for Zooni is a swirl which is called a “Koru” which means “Circle of Life” so appropriate for moms, dads and children worldwide as giving life to a new generation offering peace and harmony is enough to inspire anyone!

Leo the Lion hat, $36.00 at the Zooni website.