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Fall and Winter Style for Kids from Noch Mini

GEAR, style By Guest September 27, 2014 Tags: boys clothes, children's clothing, clothing, designer, fall, Fashion, featured, girl's clothes, jina jang, kids, kids clothes, new york, noch mini, style, winter No Comments

I adore fall and winter. Not so much for the weather (I’m personally more of a summer gal) but for the fashion! Living in Vancouver, fall and winter fashion stretches all the way from fall to spring. Fall clothing for kids is just as fun (if not more) than the clothing for adults.

At Urban Mommies we are currently loving kids clothes from Noch Mini, a New York based children’s line designed by Jina Jang. Noch believes in protecting the environment and our children’s bodies by using only certified organic materials and low-impact dyes.

Check out the Noch Mini Fall/Winter 2014 Lookbook for great looks for your kids for the fall.

Clothing your Kids on any Budget

FAM, kids By Jill Amery July 2, 2014 Tags: borrow, budget, clothes swap, clothing, featured, no child for sale, second hand, wardrobe, World Vision 1 Comment

Every parent knows the constant challenge of trying to clothe growing kids – especially as the seasons change. You finally assemble a basic wardrobe, and suddenly the clothes are too hot or too cold. Add style-conscious older kids to the mix, and clothing your kids on any budget can seem like an impossible task.

Here are 7 tips for keeping clothing costs down, while opening kids’ minds to a world of clothing possibilities:

Build a basic wardrobe: You don’t need a dozen of everything to make sure kids are covered. Children shoot up so quickly that most outgrow the clothes long before they wear out. A few well-made pairs of pants, a few tops, a hoodie or jacket, and you’re set.

Borrow expensive items: Resist buying items like suits, ties, formal shoes, leather belts, dress pants or formal dresses for events like weddings (they often get only one wearing anyway.) Find a family with children the same size, and ask to borrow the item for a day. The photos will look just as sweet!

Organize a clothes-swap: Many kids dread hand-me-down bags from their cousins or neighbors, as items are often the wrong size or not to their taste. But four or five families together can come up with a few things for everyone.

Consider alterations: If you don’t sew, too-big clothing from clothes swaps or hand-me-down bags can be altered at your local dry-cleaners for a fraction of the price of buying the same item new.

Buy second-hand: Most of the children’s clothing in places like Value Village is nearly new, the selection is vast, and the price is a fraction of what you’d spend for retail. Some stores give you a discount for donating your used clothing before you shop, bringing the cost down further.

Split the difference: Your child may be averse to wearing someone else’s cast-offs, so meet them halfway. Perhaps you buy that new jacket they’ve been wanting elsewhere, in exchange for second-hand shopping for the rest.

Weave in the learning: How many pounds of used clothes end up in landfill sites each year? Do we really know who makes the clothes we buy at the shopping mall, and what conditions they work under? Kids may be ready to consider second hand once they know (visit nochildforsale.ca to learn more).

Disclosure: This post was made possible through World Vision Canada’s #NoChildforSale campaign.

Beat the Heat

LIVE, rest By Jill Amery June 5, 2012 Tags: air conditioner, asthma, baby, beach, beat the heat, clothing, confusion, Danica Longair, dehydration, difficulty breathing, disorientation, dizziness, fainting, featured, frozen treats, hat, headache, health, heat, heat stroke, heat wave, hot, kid, nap, napping, nausea, overheating, overheating your baby, pets, pool, rapid breathing, Safety, safety tips, summer, sunscreen, tired, too hot, water, weakness, weather 1 Comment

Severe heat can inhibit the safety of babies and children. With global temperatures on a slow march upwards, heat waves such as this are unfortunately likely to become more frequent than their previous once-in-a-lifetime occurence. Some people adore the heat, but babies and children as well as pets and elderly relatives are vulnerable to heat strokes, dehydration and other serious heat-related ailments. Here are some tips on surviving the heat.

Icebreaker Touch Lab

GEAR, style By Jill Amery April 25, 2011 Tags: baa code, clothing, icebreaker, wool 1 Comment

There’s something about natural fibre. My dad used to tell me that wool and silk were the best materials to wear camping, sailing and skiing. At the time, I despised itch from wool, and imagining myself camping in a Marilyn Monroe-esque silk neglige made me giggle. Who knew there was wool that is actually soft, light and funky in colour? The new Ice Breaker Touch Lab in Vancouver’s West 4^th area (the mecca for both skiwear and maternity fashion) is a welcome addition for West Coast’s nature-loving families. With everything from running attire to undergarments to sporty clothes, the 100% wool clothing doesn’t allow bacteria to latch onto the fibre like synthetic counterparts do. (Read: You don’t stink at après ski, and new moms don’t need to bother changing clothes for a while. There’s no time for that anyway).

Teaching Kids to Dress Themselves

FAM, kids By Jill Amery March 20, 2011 Tags: clothing, creative expression, dress-up, dressing, Education, fun, kids and fashion, kids-1, organizing, outfits, playing dress-up, role model, teaching kids, teaching kids to dress themselves, tickle trunk No Comments

Teaching Kids to Dress Themselves will always be challenging. But we bet you can make it fun too! “Don’t you love Katie’s outfit?” my girlfriend asked, “She dressed herself today.” At three, her daughter had proudly chosen a red shirt, blue pants, and to “match” them, one red sock and one blue one. Genius, I thought – both Katie’s choice and the fact that her mom chose not to “correct” her “out-of-the-box” approach. But what do we do with the child who resists dressing themselves, or for that matter the one who has trouble expressing themselves? Here are a few tips on how to allow your kids a little delight when it comes to self-adornment.

1) Don’t micro-manage. It doesn’t really matter whether we like their outfit as long as it does the job. If what they choose is inappropriate in some way, offer sensible guidance. It can feel overwhelming for a child to navigate their way through a series of decisions. Simplify their choices for them – okay, blue socks or green ones? Ramones shirt or Star Wars? After you guide them through the process a few times, they’ll know what to start with and how to put together an outfit. Limit their options. Offer one to three ensembles and have them mix and match. Start with velcro and snaps; move gradually to laces and zippers. Let them wear their shirt backwards or their sock inside out. Compliment them! A toddler with a sense of pride? Totally cute.

2) Make their clothing accessible. Hanging a row of hooks along a wall at about four feet up will be an easy way for kids to hang up and retrieve frequently used pants, skirts, sweaters, pyjamas and tees. Shoes and slippers can go underneath. Set up easy-to-reach cubbies with durable storage bins in them for other clothing and footwear. A bench is especially helpful to those who get wobbly while lifting a leg into pants, socks and such. Give each child their own hamper if you can. In a shared closet, a locker room look will be practical and encourage them to respect it as a communal space. Whatever works in your home for your kids!

3) If, like my almost four year-old, your little one CAN dress themselves but prefer not to, try to engage them in other ways. By asking my son to put on his own socks and then his little brother’s, he is given an opportunity to feel helpful, which for him is a motivator. Being the older child, he misses the attention his brother still gets when dressing; I often get down on the floor and have him sit with me while I lead him through the process. He feels supported but is still accomplishing the task himself. If resistance is an issue, figure out the source of it. Is your child afraid of something, or worried about making a “wrong” decision? Did they have a bad experience? Are they frustrated that they don’t know how to use a zipper? Be patient and allow them lots of time – rushing them will likely add to their stress.

4) Play dress-up! Keep a tickle trunk full of hats, tops and bottoms, costumes, socks, accessories and footwear. They can layer things as they like. Character play is loads of fun; each child can invent a personality, dress to develop them and then engage in a pretend tea party, pirate ship invasion or fire rescue mission. Go to the thrift store on a rainy day and have everyone choose a few things for the dress-up collection. Fun!

5) Lead by example. Set up your closet like a personal boutique. Keep the things you love on display or hang whole outfits up as visual cues. Let your kids hang out while you get ready for date night with your partner, but also try to have fun when you’re just heading out to the market. Allow yourself to be enchanted by…yourself. Yes, it’s kind of corny. Do it anyway. Let your kids see it! Encourage and offer ideas for creative expression. Even a simple flower stuck in a barrette or a pair of coloured shoelaces can make a kid feel like a rock star. Remember, too: you are the role model. Grown-ups really shouldn’t wear crotch-grazing skirts, lingerie as clothing or spandex outside of the gym. Equally true: five year-olds never look good in thigh-high boots, heavy makeup or painted-on jeans! There are so many ways to have fun with what we wear…don’t wreck it for your kids by giving clueless council! If you’re not sure about your fashion sense, find an episode or two of TLC’s “What Not To Wear” and pay close attention! Gotta love Stacy & Clinton…

Now, go play dress-up with your kids. Preschoolers with pinache? Heck yeah.

– Samantha Agar has two little boys who love to dress up as dinosaurs.