Grand Avenue Baby

Style & Function for Busy Moms on the Go: líllébaby Oslo Diaper Bag

Katherine Heigl was spotted carrying the líllébaby Oslo Diaper Bag on Halloween. The red bag added a great pop of color to her outfit, but we’re sure the color wasn’t the only reason the Oslo Bag was her go-to diaper bag for Halloween festivities with Naleigh. The líllébaby Oslo diaper bag is the perfect bag for busy moms on the go!

Slim and lightweight it’s also roomy with multiple pockets to keep items well organized.  Everything from diapers and wipes to keys, camera and cell phone are within easy reach.  The bag can be carried over the shoulder, across the chest, as a backpack and even on a stroller with the convenient, built-in stroller clips.

The Oslo’s cushioned changing pad takes diaper pads to a new level with a removable terry cloth liner for easy washing and tabs that allow parents to have a diaper ready to go. Two hidden pockets under the front flap allow easy access to tissues and wipes. A magnetic top closure keeps the bag’s contents secure while making access quick and easy as well as silent (Velcro can be a challenge to open quietly).

The Oslo diaper bag retails for $75 and is available in four colors, Black, Brown, Grey and Red. For more information or to purchase the líllébaby Oslo diaper bag, please visit www.scichild.com.

Want to learn more?  Visit Coffee with the Mrs. and check out Amy’s very thorough review of the Oslo.

We've Been Busy: A Peek at Our Newest Lines

2010 is off to an exciting start. We're thrilled to be a part of the launch of three fabulous children's apparel lines - Petit Couture, Skylar Clothing and Tiny Pants!  We just returned from Children's Club and are getting ready for the lines to launch in LA this week. See the lines in person in Los Angeles in the California Market Center - Kids on 6 - Suite B601.

 

Here's a peek!  

Petit Couture is a socially-minded, premium children's line that fuses modern sophistication with artisan and whimsical styling for the fashion-conscious mom and her kids.  The signature Petit Couture designs feature sophisticated color choices, details and embellishments. Each piece in the debut collection features Petit Couture’s signature owl motif and gold metallic, rhinestones or glitter details and is proudly produced in the USA.

 

Inspired by Wen Reese's two sons, Jackson and Mac, Skylar Clothing is designed for boys' quiet sides. "Boys have a sensitive side that often gets overlooked," Wen explains, "I wanted to create a line that gives them an alternative to robots, rocket ships and race cars."

Featuring a variety of eco-friendly fabrics, Skylar celebrates children’s natural ability to be present in the moment – whether they are digging in the dirt, climbing trees or racing cars.  And because children are always moving, Skylar playwear is simple, comfortable and designed to let the kids – not their clothes- be the star of the show.

 

 

Tiny Pants proves that “style comes tiny too” with its debut collection for girls ages 2-14.  Created for mini stylistas in training, Tiny Pants offers runway inspired pieces designed especially for girls and not just shrunken down versions of women’s apparel. Tiny Pants launches for Fall 2010 with a range of fashion-forward pieces in a candy-colored palette of fuchsia, green, purple, navy and chocolate. The line's clear raincoat was the talk of the show at ENK's Children's Club!

Finding Inspiration in Housewares

If you've read InStyle, O, Elle Decor, Real Simple, Metropolitan Home (and the list goes on) in the past few months, chances are the hip housewares from Alice Supply Co. have caught your attention. The brainchild of two fashion industry executives, Alice Supply Co. came alive with help from the creative genius of Clive Piercy, the founder of design office Air Conditioned.

Clive has crafted visual identities for companies like Roxy, Ekla, Quiksilver, Fathers Office and Hillstone (Houston's, Gulfstream) and generously shared his knowledge with small business owners during an evening with SMARTY. Very quickly into Clive's presentation it became enormously clear why I find myself coveting a garden hose and tool box.

It also became clear how important it is for a company's visual personality to reflect their product or service. If you're trying to create differentiated positioning in the marketplace, ask yourself:  What is your brand spirit?  What are the adjectives used to describe your brand? And then invest in design.

Stop Dreading "I Want to Help" and Help Your Toddler Become a Partner

“I want to help.” Hopefully I’m not the only parent that cringes when I hear these four simple words. Any parent who has ever tried to make dinner, bake cookies or wash the dishes with the “help” of a young child teetering precariously on a step stool must dread hearing these four words. The problem is, saying “no” may seem like the safest reply, but it’s not the best for your child’s long-term development.

Carol Gamble, a mom with more than 16 years of experience in the Montessori system, offers parents a solution: The Learning Tower. The only step stool on the market carefully designed to meet the specific needs of toddlers 18 months and up, The Learning Tower is a sturdy, non-tip structure that allows children to safely participate by raising them to countertop height where they learn by mirroring their parents and develop their sense of self by contributing as an active member of the family.

A perfect tool for kids in the kitchen, The Learning Tower’s unique accessories, the Art Easel and Playhouse Kit, expand children’s use of the Tower and sparks their imaginations. Little Partners is giving away an Ebony Tower in time for Halloween cookie decorating! Become a fan of The Learning Tower and post a Halloween picture of your little one for the chance to win. Visit http://www.facebook.com/LearningTower to enter.

 

Join Us for Friday, July 17 at 10 a.m. Pacific

Buy a Micralite TORO, Get a líllébaby FREE

Scandinavian Child is kicking off summer with a great offer for parents: purchase a Micralite Toro ($525) in July and receive a coupon for a FREE líllébaby EveryWear or líllébaby EuroTote (a $125 value!)

Rated the #1 Luxury Stroller (#2 Overall) by Consumer Reports, the TORO offers parents high-end design with unparalled usability. Extremely lightweight with an upright fold, the Toro is available with an optional bassinet and ATK accessory kit to convert it to a rugged all terrain stroller. Combine all of the TORO's features with an innovative carrier from líllébaby and you have the perfect on-the-go combo for summer!  

Click here to learn more!

A few pictures, a little text and viola!

"Cannonball" at thisMoment

We just started working with thisMoment and are quickly getting addicted to the ease of creating timelines and sharing moments with family & friends. As busy moms, we were immediately drawn to thisMoment's ability to incorporate everything we're already doing online (Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, etc.) in one place, but beyond that, we connected immediately with the concept of "a moment" and the desire to capture it for ourselves and to share it with loved ones.

Creating "Cannonball," helped me share (and stop for a few minutes to remember) Paige's pure joy that day. Best of all with thisMoment, I made the decision on who sees this moment. I can share it on Facebook or choose family only and for those of us who have "social networked" beyond our comfort zone, this is incredibly appealing.

Take a moment to check it out and please let us know what you think!

Market's Coming to Town

June Market officially kicks off tomorrow, Friday, June 12, and we can't wait to show retailers the latest and greatest at Grand Avenue Baby! Although Market officially runs thru Tuesday, June 16, our showroom is open year-round so retailers can come by (or call 213-627-1253 or email sales@grandavenuebaby.com) any day to order the fabulous products we represent.

Like the super cool tees from Tiny Revolutionary. So much more than a t-shirt line, Tiny Revolutionary has a pretty simple philosophy – "teaching kids to celebrate their individuality and approach the world with a compassionate spirit and sense of social responsibility is one of the very best opportunities to make the world a better place." Every time I see this Tiny Revolutionary's "I'll Change the World Someday" tee, I think to myself, "wow, my daughters have tremendous potential to make a positive impact" and it's inspires me to help them do just that!

Retailers who are looking to bring new brands into their store will love Scandinavian Child's super-affordable starter packages that get product with proven sell-through, like the lillebaby EveryWear Carrier, the Anka High Chair and Beaba Babycook, into the store.

       

And with summer and sundresses upon us, it's the perfect time to stock up on Francie Pants! Give girls the freedom to twirl, do a handstand or high kick and give their moms the relief of knowing Francie Pants has them covered. With 24 patterns to choose from, in sizes 2 – 16, girls everywhere will want to “Show em London, Show em…Francie Pants!” 

Here's to a great Market and a happy summer!

Fit Pregnancy Loves the líllébaby Everywear Carrier

The líllébaby EveryWear Carrier arrived last August and quickly earned fans at Fit Pregnancy. The only carrier on the market that allows a parent to carry a baby 4 ways - on her chest (facing inward OR forward), back or hip, the EveryWear earned an Editor's Choice Award and is now prominently featured in the magazine's April/May Buyer's Guide!

 

The innovative and multi-function lillébaby EveryWear Carrier is ergonomically designed to be comfortable for the Child and the Wearer by balancing the baby’s weight to the wearer’s hips and shoulders while allowing the child’s legs to be up in a 90% angle, which supports the correct sitting position for the baby's hip, pelvis and spine growth. This design also enables the EveryWear to be lightweight and compact because weight is distributed evenly – limiting the need for bulky padding.

 

Available in a stylish texture and neutral colors, the EveryWear features a soft lining, wind and water repellent exterior lining with light breathable microfiber with enforced edges for strength and durability. It includes two front pockets for keys or cell phone and its zippered pocket fits most diapers and wipe holders. Extremely light and compact enough to easily fit in a diaper bag, the carrier retails for only $100. Click here to learn more.

Organic Apparel: Good for Your Baby, Good for Our Earth

Organic apparel may seem like a marketing ploy, but there’s more to it than a hang tag. More insecticides are used on cotton than any other crop in the world and the use of heavy chemicals continues during cotton production and processing as well; as much as one-fourth of a pound of chemicals to make one cotton t-shirt and two-thirds of a pound to make a pair of jeans according to the Pesticide Action Network. These chemicals and heavy metals are either carried around for the life of the clothing – slowly off-gasing onto the wearer – or released into treatment plants, sewers and rivers, leading to one half of the world’s wastewater problems. The chemical runoff is so pervasive that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has classified many textile manufacturing facilities to be hazardous waste generators.

Beyond these health and environmental concerns, the end result of cotton grown and produced with conventional methods is a weaker, inferior cotton garment because the chemicals used in the growing, processing and dying of the cotton ultimately breaks the fiber down.

Organic cotton provides an alternative, offering unparalleled softness and quality and is safer for children and adult’s health.

Sage Creek Organics’ stylish collections for infants and toddlers are a great example of how far organic apparel has come. The company’s affordable heirloom quality soft organic cotton pieces are produced using methods and materials that have low impact to the environment and are safe and healthy for children.  

 

The Cradle put it perfectly, “We’re talking 100% natural goodness here! And, they have a large variety of colors and patterns to fit your style or mood. It’s good for your baby and good for our earth.”

We hope you’ll take a look for yourself!