Let’s Jump: Safe Tampolines to Make Your Child Scream for Joy

1 10 2009

Springfree trampoline boy

Jumping is instrumental to your child’s mental and physical development. It helps accelerate the progress of motor skills, balance, and coordination, making them more confident all around. If you have ever jumped with your child on a bed, you have to admit that it’s great fun and a little exhausting. That’s because ten minutes of jumping is as good as a 30-minute run! So if you have outdoor space, think about buying a trampoline for your child.

The Treepee is an wonderful all-in-one tampoline, tent and swing for your toddler. It’s basically a teepee or bouncy treehouse that acts as a trampoline or a swing. Zipped safely inside, your children can jump or experience a surfing or snowboarding sensation without any worries of falling. It comes with four tethers that can be secured to the ground for the less adventurous. It is also UV protected, fire retardant, water repellent and PU coated.

The Springfree Trampoline is an investment for the future, as it will grown with your children. Since it is statistically proven to be the world’s safest trampoline, even a youngster would be safe in a small one. They come in several sizes and are completely different from the traditional trampolines that we, as parents, know and fear; being springless they provide the next generation jumping option. These trampolines use flexible fibreglass rods to give a soft non-jarring bounce that lies out of harms way, have a frame that is well beneath the jumping surface and cannot be hit, use a soft edge technology over 30 times more shock absorbent than traditional pads, and have a net enclosure that has flexible supports to cushion jumpers and prevent falls. What more can you ask from a trampoline. No wonder they won the 2009 International Design Award and are endorsed by Olympic athletes.


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Categories : Great Designs for Kids, Let's Jump

Let’s Eat: Designs that are Bound to Get a Bit Messy

23 09 2009

Bug Design Nest Highchair

Eating should be associated with wonderful memories, for both babies and parents. Food can become an issue if the baby is a picky eater or the parents strive to keep a mess-free environment. The best of both worlds would be to let a baby eat as much as they want with their hands, in a relaxed and obviously messy (but easily washable) environment.

Bibs are high on the list of essential baby items: look for ones that are perfect for drooling and eating.  A good choice of bib should be large and soak proof, with a plastic lining inside a soft exterior. Funkie Bibs are just that, and they come in a variety of brilliant designs for boys and girls. Dwell Studio also makes some excellent baby bibs in soft fabrics for babies or coated toddler bibs and aprons that can be wiped clean. Cocoboheme has great biodegradable bibs that will add a French touch to your baby’s meal.

If you let your child eat freely with his hands, you might want to consider ergonomically designed cutlery to soothe the transition into toddlerhood. The Danish designers at Rosendahl make a foodpusher and spoon set that rests very differently and correctly on the fingers and in the palm of little hands. For children who want to eat like adults, Peter Raacke of Mono flatware makes a fun dish and cutlery set for kids. The knife has a dull edge, so that a child learns how to use knife and fork from the outset. For children who like to play when they eat, get a Trebimbi dinner set with puppet forks, knives and spoons. If you want an alternative to metal and shrink from plastic, bambu KIDS collection makes great bamboo utensils that are 100% organic bamboo without chemicals.

Bloom‘s Fresco highchair is the ultimate in design and comfort for your child. It has many advantages, but suffice it to say that it is a feeding, resting and play chair that grows with your child up to 36 kilos. Another beautiful minimalist highchair called the Nest (sold be Mozzee) is suitable for babies, toddlers and young children who want to join the family at meal times. When your child is too old for a highchair, Nest converts to Nester – a cool low chair that will last you child to 6 years of age. HiLo from Sparkability is a similar dual-height evolutionary chair that provides secure seating for youngsters aged six months to six years. If you prefer a classic look, Svan‘s lovely Swedish design is timeless. Ducduc has a whole dining set centred around your family’s every need. It is made of walnut panels on one side and dry-erase whiteboard on the other, with integrated storage for tableware, art supplies, or a cool centerpiece. For those using the ducduc highchair or booster seat with this dining set, table panels slide out and lock in place to meet your children in their seats. Families who live in small flats or who are always on the go, however, might prefer a multifunctional, all in one harness, highchair and booster seat that is portable, washable and highly practical from Baby Compact.  More space means more freedom, so if you want a great travel highchair that squashes into a tiny travel pouch, get a Totseat.


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Categories : Great Designs for Kids, Let's Eat

Let’s Sleep: From Chic to Natural to Playful Looking Beds

10 09 2009

Life Time Treehouse Bed

When it comes to cribs, the options are endless. A multifunctional crib that adjusts to grow with a baby, however, is perhaps the wisest choice for your baby and your pocket. If you buy a crib that converts into a toddler bed, invest on a very good mattress (with removable washable cover and waterproof wipable layer), because your child will be sleeping (and leaking) on it for at least 4-5 years. Morgen makes a chic gender neutral crib that turns into a toddler bed and a sofa. A similar concept was proposed by two designers, Galeano and Poggi - it is an extensible box crib that grows with your baby. Nurseryworks and Bloom also make beautiful cribs that convert into toddler beds.

If you prefer a crib with a handmade look, minimalist structure and an ethnic infusion of colour, Atelier XT has unique crib and bed designs that are sturdy, simple and safe. With four boys of their own, this man and wife team from Portugal uses their own children for inspiration.

For an older and adventurous child, Life Time makes the perfect tree house canopy bed. Made of European pin grown in ecological forestry, this bed includes rope and plank access ramp, half-open design to ensure plenty of light and conversion into a basic bed for older kids. If your daughter feels lost in a tree house bed, the same company makes a cute toddler bed called TeaTime that will appeal to her femininity.

If you have two kids who share one space, look into stylish bunk beds by Inquisitive Kid and ducduc. The former is composed of two independent parts – the upper bunk and the lower platform bed, that can be positioned in many configurations, not just one directly on top of the other. Atelier XT also makes a great looking bunk bed that brings a touch of the outdoors inside your child’s room.


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Categories : Great Designs for Kids, Let's Sleep

Let’s Shine: Fun Lamps for Children and Teens

10 09 2009

modular lamp Paul Blease

Finding a decent lamp for a child’s room is a real problem; very few exist. Designer Paul Blease, however, has literally put (electric) power in the hands of children by creating a modular magnetic lamp for them to build and customize through the assembly of different coloured and shaped pieces. For teenagers, try a more sophisticated Remake Light modular lighting system, either the classic or magnetic model. Each light module connects to another module, vertically or horizontally, either with a plug or a magnet. The TwistTogether light follows a similar concept – but at a more affordable price. These types of modular lighting give more than a simple lamp; they form a game of structures that any child or adult will enjoy putting together or disassembling.

Lull is another fun lamp that opens and closes like a flower. In the evening the lamp gives a warm glow, to give a feeling of safety while it slowly turns itself off. In the morning the lamp opens, gradually increasing the light intensity to give your child a more comfortable awakening. For a teenage boy, try ordering (not yet for sale) the cool Alien Abduction Lamp as a limited edition collectible. Perhaps a teenage girl would prefer a GummiLight in the shape of the old-fashion, yet still popular, Gummi bear candy, by Jellio .


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Categories : Great Designs for Kids, Let's Shine

Let’s Playact: Soft Toys for Boys and Girls

8 09 2009

Herzensart Viking 1

Handmade toys have made a revival, especially dolls made of fabrics that encourage children to use their hands and imagination. Designers are coming up with original ideas and new ways to design dolls and other soft toys without caring so much about the symmetry of limbs, beauty in proportions or functionality.

These imperfect toys are funny, sometimes pathetic and scared (Herzensart‘s vikings and knights), simple and sweet (Zid Zid Kids‘ animal caravan or Q Collection Junior‘s Claudius the Bear) or childlike (based on your child’s drawings Wooberry Dolls and Lizette Greco). Many of these soulful personalities introduce ideas of respect and tolerance and address the inner child in all of us. They help breakdown gender boundaries and stereotypes, being created as much for boys as for girls.


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Let’s Read: Shelving and Sitting Arrangements

30 08 2009

Ladrillos by Magis

It’s hard to resist the temptation to talk about children’s book with a title such as Let’s Read, but since the focus of this series is on design, let’s talk about how simple creations can make a child appreciate a good story. Many bookcases and chairs for children exist, but few are uniquely designed with children in mind.

First, a child needs easy access to her books, so a bookcase should be as low as possible (Brave Space Design, Dwell Studios, Oeuf be Good, Magis, ecotots, Zaum, Quinze and Milan). To enjoy a good story a child also needs a comfortable or cosy place to sit (Quinze and Milan‘s Minus Series, Ineke Hans/Arnhem, Jennifer Delonge, Magis). Children love to be rocked and cuddled when read to, so if you have trouble finding a rocking chair that doesn’t make you look like a granny (but see the mamma chair by Patrick Messier), try buying one for your child made of corrugated pressboard (Villa Carton). Another fun paper chair is literally a huge roll of drawing paper (Charlotte Friis Design Studio), intended to be used as chair and as an easel with drawing paper.


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Categories : Great Designs for Kids, Let's Read

Let’s Ride: Learner’s Bikes and Scooters

25 08 2009

Endangered Species Limited Edition Wishbone Bike

A small bike without pedals may seem strange at first sight, but what fun for any two to five year old child. A two year old can stroll alongside her parents by pushing the bike with her feet, until the day she suddenly masters the art of balancing on two wheels. While lifting her feet, she rides on saying, “Look what I can do, Mommy!” From that day on, put your jogging shoes on, because you are in for a run trying to keep up with those little legs. A learner’s bike can be as fast as a pedal bike, so make sure your child wears a helmet.

Besides the obvious fact that a child gradually learns the steering and balancing challenges of a real bike, another advantage of a learner’s bike is that can be taken everywhere, not being limited to paved surfaces. An ordinary bike with training wheels often gets struck when a child hits uneven surfaces, leaving the back wheel to spin in the air and the child frustrated. Children can ride a learner’s bike in nature, up and down grassy hills or on dirt paths, wherever their little legs take them without ever getting struck. These bikes are therefore perfect for parents who like to take nature walks, but get deterred from doing so because their child gets tired too quickly. With a learner’s bike, a child can follow you around nature parks and really enjoy himself in the process.

Learner’s bikes come in different styles and materials, including metal, wood and even recycled matter (Kiddimoto, LIKEaBIKE ). Wooden ones appeal to the environmentally conscious parent, with some models (Wishbone Bikes) using 60% post-consumer recycled plastic, rubber, aluminium and steel. Wood can be more expensive than the metal version of the same bike, however, and not as resistant to wear and tear. A popular metal brand is Puky, which features safety handlebar grips, a bike saddle developed to support children’s walking motions and a frame with low step through and platform to rest one’s feet, increasing comfort and confidence. Puky models for children three years and up also have handbrakes and kickstands. LIKEaBIKE also makes a good metal learner’s bike called the Jumper, for three to six year old children.

A scooter can provide an excellent alternative way to learn balance. A scooter separates the steering/balancing function from the pedaling function, so the child can concentrate on learning to balance without the distraction of pedals. An additional advantage of a scooter is that it is less scary than a bicycle. One foot is on the ground much of the time, while the other is only a few inches above the ground with no obstruction to a “bail-out”. Micro makes the best scooters for small children aged three to five (mini micro) and older ones five and up (maxi micro). Like the learner’s bikes, children can go over any terrain (even in sand pits) safely with these three-wheeled scooters. They also make great two-wheeled scooters for teenagers.


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Categories : Great Designs for Kids, Let's Ride

Let’s Play House: Your Child’s Own Private Space

28 04 2009

Villa Julia By Javier Marsical

Children love imaginative play and a playhouse creates the ultimate space for the imagination to soar. It is a private intimate space that children build for themselves without outside (adult) interference. Think of the cozy cave that you created as a child with chairs, blankets, cardboard boxes and found objects. Parents can continue to encourage this feeling of a homemade playhouse without effort, by buying a cardboard playhouse that children can colour and paint themselves (cardboarddesign, KidEco, Paperpod and Villa Carton). The choice of cardboard as a material may seem short-lived, but it has been used by one of the world’s most innovative and original designer, Javier Mariscal, and exhibited at the Milan Furniture Fair and at London’s Design Museum (Villa Juilia). So why not let your child be proud of a house that they have assembled, personalised, decorated, occupied and dissembled. It might seem strange to let a child destroy a toy, but it often helps a child understand how objects are made. Children just love being in complete control of their environment.

Some cardboard creations act as screens instead of houses and can be used as play kitchens or theaters (Carton Chic and Corraini Edizioni). For parents who prefer a more permanent version of a play screen, Little Red Stuga makes one out of wood that also works as a room divider. For kids who love to build, Spaceframe Sculpture Kit by Scott Klinker turns into fort, a house or a sculpture; it is made from recycled soda bottles.


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Categories : Great Designs for Kids, Let's Play House


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