The Scandies are just genius about effective design. I don’t know why, but those Vikings seem to understand function like Huns understand engineering, and Italians lines. This “Rockid”, from the Netherlands is a rocker cum cradle that would sell like hotcakes, were it to be sold here, in the US. Perfect for small spaces, and for a baby that needs to learn to sleep “alone” but with the comforting presence of mama and motion – the “Rockid” is one item that I hope is knocked off immediately and sold at Pottery Barn.

The coatings and wood aren’t really detailed at the site – but it must comply with high EU standards.

Tot ziens!

By the Spring, my son will be old enough to need a wee back patio playhouse. As I don’t want art supplies to be used indoors when he still so young, a playhouse is the perfect place for my son to be creative, and do to the walls what he will.

Modern Playhouse makes beautiful, affordable playhouses that are easy to assemble, and even easier on the eyes.

And as many playhouses look a bit “girly”, these are perfect for your little prince who doesn’t need a “gingerbread house”. (Crib cred is very important.)

Modern Playhouse even has “furniture” for their houses – made of non-toxic wood and sealers. Add a few pillows and cushions and voila! Chez Bebe!

Home, sweet home indeed.

When Pottery Barn has as many organic crib bedding choices as it does – it’s official: Organic is here to stay.

I used to not buy friends shower gifts from Pottery Barn, as they didn’t used to have any green choices – but now…

…not only do they have a very large selection of organic baby bedding – it’s all ADORABLE!

Someone at Corporate was clever enough to listen to green mums…

…and I hope that the sales are strong enough to encourage them to offer even more selections!  Because if Pottery Barn does it, then all the other home retailers will have to up their green game as well.

You can even buy an organic bassinet at Pottery Barn.

The times, they are a changin’.

And it’s fabulous.

Once you have become a nutty green mum (which, lets be honest, all but green mums think you are), dads may feel a bit left out.  They have indulged the green cleaning products, sheets, mattresses and the rest because, quite frankly, they know that they have less allergies ever since the transition. They balked at the cost of some of the greener furniture and gear – but so many other dads seem to be pushing the same zillion dollar stroller and wearing the same carrier, that it made them feel less of a chump. But, there is actually something daddy can do to a) save money and b) lower that size 13 carbon footprint of his – thereby making him an official green dad.

Razors.

Even my goatee sporting hubbers uses one.

And now men can, with the RazorPit, get 150 shaves PER BLADE!  That means that you only need buy ONE razor pack a year!

According to RazorPit, the 600 million men use razors. And if you have ever seen the PVC packaging they come in….

Imagine all the steel, cardboard and PLASTIC that would be saved from landfills if all our men used this thing!

And though I am a few months early – what a great stocking stuffer or Channuka gift.

It’s the small things that really make  a difference.

Razors.

Who woulda’ thunk.

So. When I saw this charming Asian organic line for children – I thought of my abuela, and thought of how she would of been as delighted as three turtles to see her great-grandson in a few of these outfits.

Bequita creates sweet as dumpling outfits for children who will grow up to love Pandas and Hello Kitty.

Casual enough for school, but elegant enough for visiting, Bequita has found a sweet little niche for those of us who were ever lucky enough to live close to a Chinatown, and love all the silk outfits hanging in the windows, or had a beloved almost Chinese grandmama.

再见!

I love linen. I still have many of my great grandmother’s and grandmother’s linen towels, napkins and sheets – and though soft as silk, they still have that slight wrinkle that even the best ironed linen gets. It’s timeless, classic and yet not “fussy” (if a few wrinkles don’t bother you.)

Pom Pom At Home has an exquisite set of organic linen bed clothes worthy of a Royal. They are too beautiful, and I want the adult sized version immediately.  These are verily and truly sheets that your children, grandchildren and great grandchildren can save in their trousseau’s. I can’t think that anyone will ever trump these (organic) sheets as they are perfect.

Minimal enough for a modern nursery, and yet timeless enough for a traditional one – the only nursery they won’t suit is a cartoonish one.

And the more you wash linen, the more fabulous it becomes!

These Pom Pom sheets are perhaps slightly feminine, but with a masculine enough nursery, I can’t see how they couldn’t work in a boy’s room.

I tres heart these, and wish I had seen them before my own son was born.

Three cheers for Pom Pom!!!

Recently, I met a preggos mum who was disenchanted with “baby stuff” for the nursery. She is in advertising and her hubby is an architect – and neither wanted too MOD or too catalogue of a room for their daughter.

Sometimes it feels daunting to find “baby” decor that isn’t too “hip” and graphic, and yet isn’t too mature, when avoiding the sweet vibe.

So. My challenge for Ms. Preggos was to find her a few things that might set the tone for a clever and whimsical nursery appropriate for a baby – but that won’t be as dated as black granite countertops when looking back at baby pictured in ten years.

Frederique Morrel is (appropriately), a husband and wife design team from France, that employs old fashioned vintage tapestry in new and unique designs.

I adore their “trophy heads” that add a bit of magic to a child’s room, without seeming too serious or ancient.

And a cartoonish pup seems suddenly more elegant when done in tapestry.

Frederique Morrel is not for the faint of wallet – but it is lovely stuff to elevate a nursery from blah, to O00h la la!

(For DIY parents without a massive trust fund, I can’t imagine that it would be too difficult to turn a bit of grandmas tapestry or petite point purses into something for the baby room.)

Stuffed rabbit heads aren’t for everyone – but to some, un petit lapin is just the thing.

À bientôt!

If you know that “Noguchi” is not making a disparaging judgement toward Gucci, and that “I. M. Pei”, is not a way to offer to pay the bill after too many Brunellos – you like design. And you like it slightly masculine and unfettered.

If you want an über light and foldable stroller than won’t make your husband feel like the park dork – this “Metro” stroller may also be for you.

Wip, an Italian design company, has designed a stroller that meets the all important OEKO-TEX Standard 100, fits in the closet, weighs less than 20 pounds (I had a cat the weighed more), and looks bellisimo.

If a stroller could be sartorial: its Metro.

It has all the necessities, without all the rubbish: sun visor, bag, rain cover – check, check, check.

But, unlike my Scandinavian stroller – it lacks that “bulky” feel that even well designed Nordic strollers have. (Those Italians are so good with anything on wheels.)

I haven’t the foggiest how many Lira (whatever: “Euros”), this thing will set you back – but I imagine that it will be available stateside by Christmas, as it is just making all the trade show rounds now.

Available in chocolate, red, sand, yellow, grey and blue – (no pink) – the Metro is a ride any stylish baby should take.

Ciao!

I haven’t really gone fishing – but I will be away for a week, without updating my Ciconiidaeian posts. (Did you know that storks are actually mute?! Fact.)

See you again next Friday!

As a child I had Snoopy sheets. And towels. And a Snoopy dress with MATCHING socks, if you can believe it.  And I’m not even Japanese! (If you have ever been to Japan, that will make sense. Snoopy love lives on, undiminished, on that fair isle.)

And as it was then the 70′s, I am sure that my beloved Snoopy sheets were positively doused in flame retardants and heavens knows what else. But, in addition to “organic”, we now have Öko-Tex 100 certified bedding, that we can rest easy knowing our children are sleeping on. As a refresher:

“Öko-Tex is a textile certification standard developed in Europe during the 1990s in response to dangerously high levels of toxic chemicals found in consumer bedding. The goals of the Öko-tex standard are simple: ensure that 100 of the most common harmful chemicals either are not present in the fabric, or at ultra low levels that European scientists have determined to be negligible to human health. Chemicals tested for include: lead, mercury, pesticides, phthalates, flame retardants, plus many others.”

KukuNest makes darling toddler bed sets, (that are Öko-Tex 100 certified), that are bright and happy without being too “cartoonish”.

Except for “Jungle” or sports (blech) – KuKuNest seems to have a set for the most popular themes of toddler rooms.

The Asian sets even have matching wall stickers to pull the look together!

So much nicer than Snoopy sheets…

Safe toddler bedding is just as important as it was for your infant – as there are 8+ hours of dermal and inhalation time with sheets. They really need to be organic or Öko-tex standard certified. Wrapped around that organic mattress, at least you know that your child is safest for the 1/3rd of his life that he spends dreaming. More, if you’re lucky.

Sweet Dreams!