How cozy does this colorful hammock look? The Hushamok  is a swinging bassinet that creates the ideal sleeping environment for baby. The design helps to keep baby on her back, the recommended sleeping position for infants. But it’s the gentle swinging motion that will soothe and relax little ones into dreamland. It comes with two machine washable sheets and is available in a variety of stimulating colors. And it’s portable, the aluminum base is lightweight and fits in its own nifty little carrying bag.The Hushamok Modern Bassinet is great alternative to a traditonal bassinet. Now if they would only make one mom could crawl into!

Making your own baby food from scratch just got a heck of a lot easier thanks to the Beaba Babycook from Williams-Sonoma. This little miracle worker has been available in Europe for some time but has only recently made its way to America. The Babycook is a compact counter top appliance that steams, blends, warms and even defrosts meals for baby. The Babycook firsts steams the vegetables, fruits, meats or fish you place into the basket. After 15 minutes it then blends the food to the consistency you desire. You can also reheat or defrost foods using the cooker. It’s dishwasher safe so clean up is a breeze. Making your own baby food helps retain all those healthy vitamins and minerals so often lost in packaged food. And since you prepare the food yourself you know exactly what baby is eating.

 The plastic used to make baby bottles seems to be the hot topic these days. Controversy lies in whether or not there are any long term health effect from leaching of the chemical, Bisphenol-A,  which can be found in most polycarbonate products. This chemical is released under high temperatures such as sterilization, a step many parents use to clean and sanitize their baby’s bottles. There are bottles on the market now that advertise themselves as Bisphenol-A Free however many countries continue to believe the risk is quite low and safe to use. Other countries Canada for instance, have prohibited its sale altogether. Whether you choose to use polycarbonate bottles or not, washing and drying plastic bottles properly may help to reduce chemical exposure to your infant.  

• Start by having the proper supplies on hand: a bottle brush and nipple brush, non-antibacterial soap (we suggest Babyganics Foaming Dish Soap), and a drying rack such as the Splash Bottle Drying Rack featured above with room for up to nine bottles, smaller racks for nipples and its own bottle brush.
• Pour half a sink of warm water (try to avoid using hot) and add a small amount of soap. Let bottles and nipples soak for approximately ten minutes.
• Use the brushes to thoroughly scrub the inside of bottles and nipples.
• Clean the outside of the bottle with a clean dishcloth.  Sponges are a breeding ground for bacteria and should never be used to clean bottles.
•  After rinsing the bottles, nipples and caps with warm water, place them in a drying rack to air dry. Do not place bottles on towels, counters, etc… the bottles could become contaminated in food prep areas.
• Most pediatricians agree that as long as you clean the bottle well, air drying is enough to kill   most bacteria harmful to infants.  However, you should always check with your doctor if you are in doubt.

Bassinets are generally only used for the first three months of a baby’s life and can be an expensive purchase for a temporary bed.  Not finding the furniture he wanted for his own child, designer Min Kang  created the YiAhn Bassinet (named after his son), a beautiful bassinet that morphs into different pieces as your child grows. The bassinet transforms into a storage bin and bench for toddlers then later a chair and table for early learners.

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We were cruising on Etsy again this week and came across these lovely handmade toys by fede. We especially like the original designs and cool modern fabrics. Our favorite is the sweet little first fork and spoon rattles you see here. There are many other products available on the designer’s Etsy site so stop by and take a look!

How adorable are these stylish and sophisticated lofts for children from Italian designer Tumidei? Scaled down to size, these classy lofts provide plenty of extra space for homework or play. They are available in a variety of styles and are a wonderful solution for children living in urban settings. We can’t help but be a little jealous of the lucky kid who has one!

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The Pinocchio Chair by designer Julian Appelius is good practice for all the little designers out there. It’s literally a chair your child puts together themselves. The chair comes with a variety of colorful pieces that fit together to build a real chair your child can use. And with a set of two or more Pinocchio Chairs your child can build a table, shelves or whatever their imaginations dream up!

Via Design Flute

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With all due respect to Baby Bjorn, baby carriers are in desperate need of a fashion makeover. They are bulky, come in boring colors and have a strap system you need an engineering degree to figure out. And let’s be honest they’re not exactly the most attractive fashion accessory. Thankfully Metro Mama  Wrap agreed and designed a baby wrap carrier that is not only comfortable for baby but also looks pretty darn hot on mom too! The Wrap takes inspiration from a traditional baby sling. The updated design ties around mom (or dad) in a serious of twists ( don’t worry it’s very simple)and  after you’ve tied your knot, insert one baby and violá your ready to hit the town.  And because it distributes baby’s weight evenly mom can rest assured she isn’t sacrificing fashion for function.

An activity table with plenty of storage underneath will help keep those building blocks and toy cars off the floor and out from under your feet. We found his one on online store Modern Mini. It features a one and half inch lip around the outside edge to keep toys from rolling off. And the six tidy bins underneath make clean up easy and fun. The see through window let’s you know what is inside and can be pulled away from the table for big projects. Better than a toy box the activity table gives your child a place to learn and create. And as you know, the key to a tidy nursery is good organization!

The Miles carpet, designed by Big Game for Balouga, looks like a racetrack but is really a cozy children’s rug.  A stimulating addition to any child’s room, the rug comes with three toy cars so your child can start their racing career right away!