Category: big kids

Axlscloset.com Features Cool Threads for Cool Kids

by Jen Rabulan-Bertram

While most of you are updating and/or breaking out your summer wardrobes, our family continues to pack for our move. Between us, there’s nothing I’d love more than to chuck all of our clothes and start over so we can be done packing already!  But that would be too easy.

With all of these summer clothes posts lately, it couldn’t be more timely to introduce you to a rather sweet shopping site for cool kid gear. Alxscloset.com is a site that features trendy kids clothing from the outdoor, surf, and snowsports markets. The clothes reflect that slightly edgy surfer/skate aesthetic that I mentioned that I adore, especially for boys.

Growing up in Virginia Beach, and even to this day, we’ve always worn skate and surf brands, and this site caters to like-minded shoppers and parents.

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The site features brands like Patagonia, Volcom, Roxy, Billabong, DC, Quicksilver, just to name a few, that I know my tween nieces and nephews would appreciate. Among the cool logo t-shirts, shorts, pants, jackets, dresses and more, there’s also a few vintage-inspired tees I wouldn’t mind for myself!  How about that adorable summer dress from Roxy!

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Traintastic: Chuggington Toys are Coming Soon

by Jen Rabulan-Bertram

One of our favorite Disney shows, Chuggington, unveiled another new episode this past weekend.  I hope you guys were able to catch it.

I’ve got a bunch of Chuggington news planned in the coming weeks…and actually, I was planning a fun viewing party with a few of our fellow Chuggington friends for last week, but had to reschedule.  I’ll be sure to share our soiree once our family is moved and we can get together with our Chuggington pals.

In the meantime, I thought I’d share about some other Chuggington news.  Did you know as of May 17, you can now pre-order Chuggington Toys?  The toys, already available in the U.K. and other locations, are making their way stateside.

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The Children’s Place Goes Americana for Summer

by Jen Rabulan-Bertram

A few weeks ago, I had the chance to preview the Children’s Place summer collection, which includes a variety of super cute outfits, accessories and special collections.  I spotted a lot of fun, jewel-toned and vibrant prints for girls, but my favorites for the little ladies were the skirts and shoes that evoked the cool bohemian-inspired style.  The metallic sandals for girls though, yeah, I wanted a pair for myself.

If you were to inspect my son’s closet, you’d find no less than 80% of his clothes from TCP; I religiously stock up during sales and after seasons and stash for the next size up.  Needless to say, I’m a fan of the modern, but slightly edgy aesthetic, which TCP pulls off so well.  Their boys’ styles for this summer are full of the utilitarian and surfer/skater looks, with a punch of their own vibrant prints—one that I could’ve sworn was a licensed print, but wasn’t.

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Summer Fun with Polarn O. Pyret

by Jen Rabulan-Bertram

This weekend marks the unofficial start of summer, and I hope everyone is prepared for fun in the sun!  I’ve got quite the backlog of posts, so I thought I’d dedicate the next few to fun summer-inspired gear.

Speaking of which, I just eyed some fun whimsical summer prints, from the well-loved Swedish line, Polarn O. Pyret.

Polarn O. Pyret, synonomous with classic, well-made children’s clothing, has a distinctive European flair that stands out among the crowd.  Polarn O. Pyret accommodates sizes from babies to big kids and even mamas, too.  I love that so many of their prints and designs are gender-neutral, including this fun sailboat-clad Summer Fun T for baby.  The line also offers a fabulous variety of eco-friendly clothing that uses organic cotton, with sizes also available for baby, big kid and mama.

Check it

In the NYC area?  Citibabes is having Polarn O. Pyret trunk shows at its Scarsdale and SoHo locations.

Check out the Scarsdale Citibabes on June 3 for the Polarn O. Pyret trunk show.
RSVP to scarsdale@citibabes.com or 914.725.3334.

Check out the SoHo Citibabes on June 9th and 10th for the Polarn O. Pyret trunk show.
RSVP to soho@citibabes.com or 212.334.5440

 

Jonathan Adler Introduces Kids Line

by Jen Rabulan-Bertram

With our moving day pretty imminent, I’m decidedly in design mode.  Since we’re not only transitioning from the city to the suburbs, this is will be our first “real” house.  So, let the designing begin!


 

Jonathan Adler, perhaps, one of my favorite modern design influences, has recently unveiled a kid line, Jonathan Adler Junior.  The line, reminiscent of his signature straight lines and whimsical, yet modern designs, is softened for the kiddie set.  In addition to the playful ceramic animals, the Junior line has some sophisticated items that are making parents swoon, like this fucshia Junior Templeton chair.

Pack This: Laptop Lunches

by Jen Rabulan-Bertram

Always a fan of promoting healthier eating choices, I spotted Laptop Lunches, these fun lunch containers over on today’s Eco Baby Buys.


I was recently asked to review the toys from the latest happy meal, and as much as my kid is obsessed with the show that said toys are promoting, I had to decline the review opportunity.  I appreciate convenience as much as the next person, especially when we’re traveling, but as we all know, fast food isn’t always the best choice. With the unlimited selection and creative possibilities of packing fun and healthy meals, I think Bento Boxes are the new happy meal.

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Playground Pick: Alex Toys Catch N Stick Monster Mitts

by Jen Rabulan-Bertram

Having just spent a wild and crazy afternoon at a dance party with our favorite characters yesterday and with a beautiful weekend ahead of us, I thought I’d share a quick playground pick today.

Catch N Stick Monster Mitts from Alex Toys is a fun twist to the playground favorite.  Playing catch helps kids with hand-eye coordination, which is a fine motor activity that’s important for development.  And what better way to work on playing catch than with oversized mitts and a soft tennis ball that both stick!

The ball and mitts have a Velcro front surface and adjustable strap on the back that make for a crazy good time for preschoolers and up.  The set that usually retails for around $13 is just $6.50 on one of my favorite kiddie sale sites, Totsy.

You need to register for the site, but in case you need an invite, feel free to go here.

I have a $15 credit from Totsy that I’m giving a random Facebook Friend for commenting on the update associated with this post!  Not a friend?  Be sure to “Like” NKT to find out about Facebook-only giveaways and fun discounts.

 

 

Can You Guess LeapFrog’s New Mobile Learning Device?

by Jen Rabulan-Bertram

LeapFrog, always at the forefront of kid-friendly technology, is about to launch a new mobile learning device.  Like many of you, we’re huge fans of LeapFrog.  In addition to offering great products that I love as much as my kid, LeapFrog was one of the first big brands to reach out to me right after I launched this site.  In fact, I did my first (and only, so far) Vlog about Scout and the Text and Learn right after they launched last year.

Just as their microsite for this new mystery product went live, LeapFrog has once again enlisted us to get the buzz going about their new product. And they want NKT readers’ help, too.

Can you guess the device? What do you want it to be? LeapFrog wants NKT readers to guess what it is, or suggest what you think it does!  And we’re looking for creative guesses, so think about it and comment below.  And as an FYI, I have NO IDEA what this thing is either.

Giveaway

Each creative guess is entered into the giveaway for this mystery device.  Said NKT winner will be guaranteed front-door delivery of this new device the morning of July 15, which will be the very first day it’s available on shelf.  If that’s not the Next Kid Thing, then I don’t know what is.

So, check out their teaser and guess away and guess as many times as you like!

Comments below count as one guess, but if you decide to head over to the NKT fan page and add a comment to the entry associated w/ this post, I’ll count it as extra credit–3 entries!

 

Want even more entries?

Tweet about this giveaway for an extra entry.  Be sure to include @jenrab in your tweet.

Share about this entry on any social networking site for another entry.

“Share this” on facebook for another entry.

Get a friend to join the NKT fan page and get 5 extra entries.

Be creative and good luck!

Giveaway ends 6/6.  Winners will be notified via email and on the NKT FB fan page!

Skip Hop Debuts Central Park Outdoor Blanket + Cooler Bag

by Jen Rabulan-Bertram

Just in time for prime picnicking weather, Skip Hop, a brand associated with smart, modern and fun designs, has introduced the Central Park Outdoor Blanket + Cooler Bag.  With their new blanket + cooler bag, the NYC-based company covered their bases by meeting parents’ need for portability, functionality and style.

As city dwellers, I find that we’re outside eating all the time, whether it’s for Movie Under the Stars, family concert night in the park or for a regular picnic while we play at the playground. Schlepping a big blanket stuffed in a big bag, in addition to a bag of food or toys can get cumbersome, so I appreciate that this blanket + cooler bag can be carried as a messenger bag or a backpack.

Unfolded, it’s 5×5, but folded up as a bag, it’s 11.5in x 11.5in x 3in, which is compact.  It’s big enough for a small family to sit together, or even just mom or dad and a babe.  It’s seems like it’s easy to wipe clean, but in case there are minor spills, it can be thrown into the washing machine.  The cooler part, isn’t huge.  It looks like it can hold several smaller containers, sandwiches and a few drinks, but not much else.  Less is always more.

The Central Park Outdoor Blanket + Cooler Bag retails for about $45 and is available in the chocolate/uptown stripe or the black/wave dot.  The kid and I plan on spending as much time as possible outdoors this spring and summer, so this would be a perfect addition to our picnicking aresenal.

Skip Hop products can be found at retailers such as BRU, Buy Buy Baby, giggle, Whole Foods and more.