June, 2011

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30
Jun 11

Destroy this if you can: child-proof melamine cups

Some kids simply have an unbelievable talent to leave a path of destruction behind them everywhere they go, especially when they can get their hands on glass and porcelain dinnerware. This is really not anyone’s fault; it’s just the way it is. They are kids after all! If you’re a fully paid up member of the lovable high octane kids club then you may just want to switch your standard dinner sets to ones made of melamine (just to be on the safe side…).

If you haven’t discovered Melamine, you’ll love it. It’s a plastic polymer regularly used for making different kinds of merchandise for children, as it is extremely durable and nearly impossible to break. No matter what is inflicted on a melamine cup, it will remain unscathed and keep its smooth edges practically forever. This feature is critical to prevent accidental injury to kids (and it’s critical for avoiding buying new kitchen items every few weeks)

Products made of melamine include many different items, from cups and bowls to forks, spoons and plates. They are inexpensive, long lasting and very practical for a variety of situations – from serving up standard cups of milk before bedtime to picnics in the park. Melamine cups and other products for kids are available in many different colors and stylish designs, making them very popular with children of all ages and distinguishing them from other kitchen products made of plastic that look, well, cheap and disposable.

For some great suggestions, take a look at our selection of melamine kitchen products for kids. You’ll never look back!

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29
Jun 11

Scandinavians Are NOT The Happiest People In The World…

New research out today suggests that contrary to popular belief, Scandinavians are not the happiest people in the world.

The research suggests that previous studies to determine happiness are flawed as they’re based on psychologists trying to quantify happiness by using surveys and questions. Instead the Latin Euro.com study suggests that the best way to measure happiness is to look at people’s faces. They support the old adage that a picture is worth a thousand words – quite simply if you look happy, you are happy.

Conveniently, Latin Euro runs a dating website, so they have thousands of faces to study. According to them, after analysing faces for 22 years and looking at literally tens of thousands of people they concluded that the smiliest (and therefore happiest) people in the world are not the Scandinavians, but instead (drum roll please) the Brazilians!

Why? Apparently the warm weather and heavy focus on family and less focus on material items makes the Brazilians a very happy nation indeed!

You can read the full report here

We think: the weather definitely does give them an unfair advantage. Us Scandinavian’s don’t stand a chance!

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28
Jun 11

Discovering Pippi Longstocking

Yesterday we had a customer in the store who made a confession to us… She’d never heard of Pippi Longstocking. She’d grown up in the UK and she apologetically told us “She’s obviously someone famous that I should know, because of the amount of stuff you sell, but who is she?”

Well, whilst Pippi was relatively unknown here in the UK, there are few literary characters that children around Scandinavia and the rest of Europe adore as much as Pippi Longstocking.

Pippi is a resourceful and sometimes a little unconventional 8-year old who regularly finds ways to outsmart and mock adults, especially the mean and dishonest among them. She was created by the famed Swedish children’s book author Astrid Lindgren in the late 1940′s and featured in a series of best-selling books, several films and a TV series.

Pippi won the sympathy of young readers in many different languages and became a well-known symbol of Swedish literature for children. Refusing to grow up and scorning most things typical of the behavior of adults, Pippi served as female counterpart to Peter Pan to several generations and provided a positive role model for active, less conformist kids.

Pippi’s easily recognized by her red hair, pigtails on both sides of her head, oversized shoes and mismatched thigh-high stockings. Living with her monkey Mr. Nilsson and her beloved horse in a small Swedish village in a house she calls “Villa Villekulla”, she is gifted with unusual strength and extraordinary wits that she uses only to protect her friends and punish “the worst of adults”.

Pippi's House: Villa Villekulla Cottage

With her best friends Tommy and Annika in tow, Pippi always finds ways to get another amazing adventure going even in the quiet surroundings of their little village….

Pippi with Friends Tommy & Annika

Pippi Longstocking’s popularity in Britain is not as great as in other countries, although Astrid Lindgren’s books exist in English translations. That makes for a great discovery for many parents who want to give their kids something different to read than the latest edition of Harry Potter!

You can discover more about Pippi Longstocking at KIDSEN.

Amongst other things you’ll find a great book (in English) called Do you know Pippi Longstocking, plus a whole range of toys and accessories including dress up outfits like our Pippi Longstocking Wig and costumes.

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26
Jun 11

Want A Room Tidied? Get Some Toy Storage Boxes…

Everyone who’s ever raised kids will agree, things can get pretty messy around the house when little ones start playing indoors. Typically, kids find some new fascination for the moment, leaving the floors littered with miniature cars, teddy bears or talking dolls. Not only do toys get destroyed much quicker when they are left outside their toy baskets, they can also become a potential safety hazard to unsuspecting adults!

We all try to instill some degree of responsibility in our children and teach them to use their toy storage boxes after they finish playing with their toys, but sometimes the rate of success isn’t very encouraging – we’re running at about 50% at the moment….

Instead of strict rules or disciplinary actions, it may be better to use toy baskets which themselves look like toys, like the ones in our video below. This way, cleaning up becomes an integral part of ‘the game’ and provides much better motivation for the kids to learn how to be responsible and tidy. Getting toys back to their “house” is much more fun than simply “cleaning your room” or “doing your chores”.

Experimenting with innovative toy storage designs can be a great way to get rid of the mess and keep your little one happy at the same time!
For some playful and cute toy baskets that can help in this respect, check out our latest range of Toy Storage Baskets.

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24
Jun 11

Mid Summer Sale Now On

Have you seen the weather forecast in the UK this weekend? We’re in for a hot, hot, hot weekend – with reported temperatures of 90 degrees in the capital on Monday! So you’ll be pleased to know that we’ve just started our Mid Summer Sale today with some great savings on our lovely Summer Clothes and Shoes.

The sale has started simultaneously online and in our London store – so either pop in or grab your picks via our website. With the big summer break coming up, it’s the perfect time to grab all your holiday essentials too – whether you’re going abroad or staying home. With weather this hot, we may just stay home in London!

Product News / Time Off — 1 Comment
23
Jun 11

It’s Festival Time – Get Your Ear Defenders Ready

Loud, live music is one of the main reasons why we all go to festivals, but high levels of noise can obviously be damaging to the sensitive ears of your child. With Glastonbury festival starting this week and many other great events coming up soon (See below), you may be worrying whether those sound systems are going to be too much for little junior…

As you’ll see from the short video below, with a piece of protective gear as simple as these baby ear defenders you can have the best of both worlds. Resembling a pair of cool looking headphones, they’ll blend in perfectly with the festival crowd! At just 140 grams they’re also very light to wear while wide-radius, foam-filled cushions make the Peltor baby ear defenders great protection against excessive noise. Most important of all, your little one will feel comfortable with this smart protective item on, leaving one thing less to worry about!

Music enthusiasts already know, but it is worth repeating –

Eden Sessions kicks off on 24th of June in the magnificent ambience of the Cornwall Eden Project and features a series of events until July 10th, followed immediately by the Wireless Festival in London’s Hyde Park from July 1st-3rd and The Latitude Festival in Southwold, Suffolk from July 14th -17th. Family-oriented party-goers might also want to get their baby ear defenders ready for the Claire House Summer Festival and the Home Festival, both starting on June 24th.

Summer season is just warming up, so there will be many occasions when your ear defenders will help to avoid making tough decisions between staying with the kids and attending your favourite gigs. Rock on!

Peltor Ear Defenders are available in Lime Green & Pink from KIDSEN.

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5
Jun 11

Gorgeous Farg Form

Farg och Form are a Swedish design company that produce stunningly simple products with a distinctive Scandinavian feel.

As you’ll see from the video below, their latest nursery range is based on a cloud print design that was created in the 60’s which still looks gorgeous today. And it’s super practical too!

The gorgeous new Farg och Form Nursery Collection

Our Farg Form Cloud Collection

1. Farg Form Baby Blanket

Soft & Cosy Baby Blanket – perfect for prams or just snuggling up!

2. Farg Form Foldable Changing Mat

Changing a baby whilst on the go is an essential part of parenthood. These changing mats are both incredibly portable and easy to clean.

3. Farg Form Changing Mat

Soft cushioned changing mat in Farg Form’s gorgeous cloud print which looks great in a bedroom or bathroom.

4. Farg Form Hanging Storage

These handy storage baskets hang next to your changing station and are a great way to keep essentials within arms reach. Store nappy sacks, nappy creams or anything else you need to make changing time go smoothly!

5. Farg Form Cloud Lamp Pendants

These beautiful pendants are a great way to add a soothing decorative touch to any nursery.

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1
Jun 11

The Perfect Mobile for Baby?

One of the reasons why we love kids rooms is that you can decorate them in so many different ways that no two kids rooms are the same. With a little imagination the possibilities are endless.

If you’re stuck for inspiration why not look to your work or hobby for stimulation. That’s what Mac McLean did. Mac is a self professed Movie Buff and Director of Click Communications – the coolest publicity company in Hollywood).

He’s been working in the entertainment industry for years now and his movie collection is currently running at circa 4,000 so it was no surprise to see what happened when he was left in charge of putting together little Junior’s nursery!!

So how did Mac do it? He built this mobile himself with everyday household items. The characters were downloaded and printed onto cardstock for cutting (use scissors and a utility blade) and folding (no glue necessary, but tape is handy for accidental tears and character accessories).

Once assembled, a brad was inserted into the center of the head (tip: using a utility blade, make a small slit into the top of the head and insert the brad BEFORE closing the head) and fishing line was tied to the brad and a paperclip, which was then hung onto the ring of the mobile.

The rings are made from the inner hoop of a quilting/embroidery hoop found at any craft store. Notches were measured and cut into the wood to keep the paperclips and center strings from sliding and then painted

You can download the figurines at Cubeecraft.com for FREE.