Sing Your Name WV

West Virginia-based Sing Your Name creates a variety of gifts for children that are personalized with music. Special music. Singing-Your-Child’s-Name kind of music. The kind of gifts that make children smile and feel very special.

“My daughter Allysa and I have been partners in this venture for a little over a year,” Rebecca Kesling tells me. Rebecca launched the company after she gave her grandson, Anders, a little green puppy that sang and spoke his name for Christmas.

“He carried his little green puppy around by the neck everywhere he went, and at night, the little green puppy cuddled with him in his bed,” Allysa says. “Seeing his eyes light up at the sound of his name got his Grammy’s gears turning.”

The Company That Makes Children Smile

The folks at Sing Your Name West Virginia believe children should be nurtured as very special individuals. “Every child feels special when his or her name is associated with a cherished gift from someone who loves them enough to choose a gift that sings out their name. It makes them giggle, it makes them happy, it makes them smile.” It makes adults smile, too.

Personalized music CDs, movie DVDs, alarm clocks, Plush Create-A-Critters, name poems, growth charts, Tiny Twins dolls and more. Ideal for birthdays and special occasions, with personalized songs they can sing along to, they can learn their ABCs and numbers from; make your child the star of a Storybook CD; create a plush toy and add a song, a sound or a scent. Personalized lullabies for babies, birthday songs, even songs to learn a morning get dressed routine. Tiny Twins are perfect for personalizing your work desk, cell phone, car’s rear view mirror or the top of a wedding cake. Creations are limited to nothing but your imagination.

Visit the company on Facebook, Twitter or Website and sign up to receive newsletters with discount savings.

Children’s Retail Today publishes new articles each week about innovative, imaginative and inspiring products for children. Contact me today with your great idea!

Simply Chickie

100% Organic Cotton Clothing for Funny Bones.

People are pushovers for clothes with cheeky sayings and cute graphics made from 100% certified organic. Especially for kids.

The Simply Chickie Creator, Gwendolyn, is a cancer survivor – a life event that inspires her every day to make people laugh. “We want to make everyone laugh because life is funny,” she says.

Funny, indeed. One day, Gwen leaves her boyfriend, finds out she’s pregnant and gets diagnosed with stage 2 breast cancer. Well, not in one day, but one day after another. At the age of 40 she says, life itself decided to slow her down. “I thought a lot about how my body felt, and how it got to feeling that way—what I put in my body and eventually what I put on my body. I paid attention to smells and food and everything coming in contact with my mouth and my skin. I paid attention to labels and discovered that the lovely soft cotton clothing I enjoyed hid a dirty secret. The cotton crop is one of the most polluting crops grown.”

Soon after her cancer was treated successfully and her daughter Elizabeth was born, Gwen became a kids clothing entrepreneur and prints her funny thoughts on kids clothes. Simply Chickie clothing can be found online, Wholefoods in Rhode Island and boutiques around the country.

Children’s Retail Today publishes new articles each week about innovative, imaginative and inspiring products for children. Contact me today with your great idea!

GrassHopper by Cozey7

Sun protection that comes from the warmth of the Colorado sun.

Colorado-based Cozey7, designer/manufacturer of the TrailHopper, is introducing the GrassHopper, a one-piece sunsuit that provides breathable, long-lasting UPF 50 protection that doesn’t deteriorate after repeated laundering.

“This summer we designed the GrassHopper to keep kiddos from getting sunburn without using the chemicals, which so many are allergic to,” Jill Winckler, Cozey7 founder, tells me. “The fabric we use is UPF50, made with a tight weave and crushed seashells. No chemical is added to the fabric. There’s nothing to wash off.”

With natural anti-microbial properties, the lightweight GrassHopper also keeps little ones cool and is quick drying. Reversible foot cuffs cover little toes while seated in backpacks and strollers, and hood covers exposed heads. Stuff sack and Camp USA carabiner included.

Pre-Order Now. Visit the Cozey7 booth PV2043 at the Outdoor Retailer Summer Market August 5-8, 2015 in Salt Lake City, Utah for a look-see at the new GrassHopper as well as the specialized protection of Cozey7’s other apparel, the TrailHopper and the Caribou.

Children’s Retail Today publishes new articles each week about innovative, imaginative and inspiring products for children. Contact me today with your great idea!

IMPWEAR

Made by a Mom in Seattle, IMPWEAR introduces an oil cloth collection that’s just right for kids of any age!

Back in 1992, creative Mom Tracy Krauter stared making a line of reversible wear for her three active boys. She called it IMPWEAR and sold what she calls the “quality hand-me-downs” at local street fairs.

Made in the USA. Now, Tracy and her IMPWEAR crew are making aprons, tablecloths, reversible bags and more, made from a versatile oil cloth.

It’s the fabric that excites.

The lightweight fabric has a polyurethane coating that’s BPA-free, PVC-free, phthalate-free and toxin-free, which means it’s not only safe for food, but safe for kids, too. “This ‘oil cloth’ comes in the same zesty prints with irresistible draping and washability,” Tracy says.

Perfect for any kitchen, garden shed or kids playtime, IMWEAR’s oil cloth collection is available online at www.impwear.com, at local shops and market events and wholesale –great for gift shops, catalogs or garden nurseries (I especially like Tracy’s yoga mat bag!).

Giving Back. Tracy was a park ranger in a former life, and believes in the value of untouched wilderness for our kids. In support of her cause, IMPWEAR donates 10% of each sale to non-profit organization Forterra, the largest conservation and community building organization in Washington State, dedicated to protect, enhance and steward the region’s communities and landscapes.

Children’s Retail Today publishes new posts on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. If you want to get the word out about your innovative, imaginative and inspiring products for children, contact me today!

Baby Wit

Show the world your baby has serious style.

BabyWit.com‘s quirky, eclectic t-shirts for children is the largest collection of comic infant and toddler t-shirts on the Internet, according to founder Rosalee Rester. You can also find one-pieces, bibs, dresses, blankets, slippers and other accessories in funky, alternative prints.

Apparently, Rosalee started Baby Wit because she was tired of seeing cute rainbows, hearts and bears on baby shirts (“Especially bears. We hated bears.”). More to the point, Rosalee’s designs for kids clothing reveal quite a sense of humor, with an adult sensibility. And for the past 10 years, the rock-inspired Baby Wit brand has become quite popular, too.

Our best sellers come from pop culture icons and the music you love, that someday your baby will grow to appreciate, too.

Tragically Hip. Consider Baby Wit’s shopping categories:

rock baby clothes (Sonic Youth, Sex Pistols)
unique art on baby clothes (DAVe Warnke, Option-G)
conscientious baby clothes (Stephen Colbert, Protester, Emma Goldman)
funny baby clothes (“My Mama Drinks Because I Cry,” “If You Think I’m Good Lookin’ You Should See My Uncle,” Jon Stewart)
celebrity baby clothes (Hitchcock, Bukowski, Bill Murray, Clint Eastwood)
select clothes are also available for women, men and dogs -yep, your family pet!

Made in the USA. Baby Wit infant and toddler clothing is made from sustainable fabrics, and is hand-pressed using retro iron-on transfers, or hand-printed using non-toxic water based inks. Everything is cut, sewn and printed in Portland, OR.

Baby Wit is a Small Itty Bitty Tiny Single Mom Run Business. “It’s just me holding down the fort,” Rosalee says. “This past year I’ve had to lay off my last employee, so it’s just me running the shop now,” Rosalee says. “Yes, I’m the one answering the phones, your emails, making all your shirts, folding them, packing them and labeling them. Sorry for the crappy gift wrapping. I seem to be lacking in that department. Patience is appreciated! A shout out and hearty thank you to all my current customers.”

Not so fast.

She may be running Baby Wit by herself these days, but Rosalee is continually at the forefront of the alternative clothing movement, being one the first manufacturers to market with rock clothing for babies. She makes an effort to introduce new and revolutionary concepts to the shopping public all the time – like her new brand Yankers, a clothing line made especially for easy diaper changes.

I say Rock On, Rosalee.

Children’s Retail Today publishes new posts on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. If you want to get the word out about your innovative, imaginative and inspiring products for children, contact me today!

Little Quadoo Consignment

Search the words, “shop local” “buy local” and you’ll find quite the populated list of results on your computer screen.

From trend to craze to legitimate movement, buying local is catching on and fast becoming a preferred way to shop. The movement has inspired a cottage industry of resources to help you find what you’re shopping for locally, too –from the aol.com partner Patch.com to local campaigns from RelyLocal.com, ShopLocal.com and more. And moms have led the cause.

In the spirit of buying local, this week I’m focusing on a few children’s specialty retailers in my own locality.

Do you Quadoo? Established in 2010, Little Quadoo Consignment is located in downtown Renton, WA and offers “one of the least stressful kids shopping experiences you’ll ever have,” say the folks at red tricycle, a local resource for parents, which recently gave Little Quadoo the 2012 Totally Awesome Award as Sensational Resale Store. “They have quite a thorough item acceptance policy, so moms won’t have to worry about quality being second-rate.”

Owner Danielle Gould has filled a real need in the Renton area, with a specialty kids shop where customers can consign and purchase children’s merchandise. With over 800 consigner accounts, Little Quadoo focuses on gently used, high-quality children’s clothing and accessories up to size 10, and carries a wide range of other things like shoes, gifts, books, toys and maternity. The store has also built a nice online community on Facebook, too –where neighbors connect with Danielle and her team, finding out about everything from sales to particular items for sale.

Custom Orders. Looking for a unique birthday gift? Little Quadoo fills orders for custom-made capes. Retailing for just $14, you can pick the color and the super hero letter, too.

Danielle tells the Renton Patch that the “quadoo” in Little Quadoo is a made-up word her son Nathaniel uses for garage doors.

Little Quadoo Consignment, 601 S 3rd St., Renton WA 98057, 425-572-6261

Children’s Retail Today publishes new posts on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. If you want to get the word out about your innovative, imaginative and inspiring products for children, contact me today!

Creative Mom Toys

From trend to craze to legitimate movement, buying local is catching on and fast becoming a preferred way to shop.

Search the words, “shop local” “buy local” and you’ll find quite the populated list of results on your computer screen. The movement has inspired a cottage industry of resources to help you find what you’re shopping for locally, too –from the aol.com partner Patch.com to local campaigns from RelyLocal.com, ShopLocal.com and more. And moms have led the cause.

In the spirit of buying local, this week I’m focusing on a few children’s specialty retailers in my own locality.

Creative Mom Toys. Owner Cheri Saburi opened Creative Mom Toys in Renton, WA’s The Landing on Black Friday 2010. Located south of Seattle, the store is a treasure trove of educational and developmental toys for children of all ages, including their parents.

This store is for parents who want to give their kids ‘toys with a purpose.’ Everything has been carefully selected for both its entertainment and fun value. Great toys and online store!

-Thomas K, Renton

Engaging Creativity. Cheri says the mission of Creative Mom Toys is to encourage children to play without the need for modern technology. “We know how hard it is to find rich and engaging products that stimulate, educate and enrich the minds of our children,” she says. Shoppers can find wooden toys, entertaining books and more from top notch companies such as Haba, Melissa and Doug, Automoblox, Manhattan Toy, P’Kolino, Plan Toys, Back Alley Traders, Workman Publishing, Kathe Kruse, Vilac, Seedling, Green Toys, Uncle Goose, Eeboo, Mudpuppy and others. She’s always excited to learn about new products, too -especially from her customers. “Send us an email explaining what you’d be interested in and we will do our best to accommodate your needs.”

In 2005, Cheri started her store online while living in Japan –and with its success, opened her first brick-and-mortar storefront based in the U.S. Since then, Creative Mom Toys has received the Parent Best Toy Store Award of 2011 as well as being honored as a finalist in Red Tricycle’s 2012 Totally Awesome Awards for Best Toy Store.

Cheri’s career specialty is education, having spent time working in several local school districts before taking time to raise her own children. Kids and parents can also enjoy custom birthday parties and other special activities and events held in Creative Mom Toy’s fun and colorful space. Shop for bags and children’s accessories, too.

Creative Mom Toys at The Landing in Renton, 840 N. 10th Pl. Suite A, Renton WA 98057, 206-388-3940

Children’s Retail Today publishes new posts on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. If you want to get the word out about your innovative, imaginative and inspiring products for children, contact me today!