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ergoPouch


Hip-Healthy Swaddles, Sleep Sacks & Sleep Suits

Award-winning manufacturer ergoPouch’s range of baby swaddles, sleep sacks and sleep suits have received “hip-healthy” designation from The International Hip Dysplasia Institute (IHDI), a not-for-profit organization dedicated to improving the health and quality of life of those afflicted with hip dysplasia.

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“We are thrilled to receive this designation from the International Hip Dysplasia Institute,” ergoPouch founder Alina Sack says. “Baby’s health and comfort is at the forefront of every ergoPouch design and we’re pleased to be recognized for our products which promote healthy hip development during infancy by an organization of this caliber.”

040616_CRT_1stfinals-104-1Australian-based ergoPouch founded in 2009 is renowned for the design and manufacture of premium baby swaddles, sleeping bags and sleep suits made from pure natural fibers. As a mother, Alina Sack draws on her own personal experiences of sleep deprivation to conceive of innovative products designed to help babies and kids get a better night’s sleep.

The award-winning ergoPouch collection includes baby swaddles, sleeping bags and sleep suits suitable for children ages birth to six years. All ergoPouch products are made with organic cotton, bamboo or Merino wool.

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Hip-Healthy Status

In 2012, Prof Nicholas Clarke of University Hospital Southampton raised the alarm about tight swaddling. “Safe swaddling with appropriate devices should be promoted because it is recognized that traditional swaddling is a risk factor for developmental dislocation of the hip,” he says. “In order to allow for healthy hip development, legs should be able to bend up and out at the hips. This position allows for natural development of the hip joints. The babies’ legs should not be tightly wrapped in extension and pressed together.”

Using a traditional wrapping method, parents could wrap too tightly to ensure their babies stay securely swaddled. Wraps can tend to unravel, but it is really important to avoid wrapping a baby’s legs tightly in a straight (prone) position.

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There is no origami and no wrapping involved when using an ergoCocoon or AirCocoon “They keep even the most determined Houdini babies snug,” Alina says. For this reason, the IHDI has recognized these ergoPouch products as “Hip-Healthy” – ergonomically designed with a bell-shaped bottom for extra legroom and made from stretchy organic cotton or bamboo to allow babies to move their legs comfortably and adopt the “frog-leg” position. They are perfect for babies diagnosed with hip dysplasia as a brace can be worn comfortably inside the swaddle.

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Offering great functionality and versatility, ergoPouch also offers different sizes to ensure the right fit for baby with swaddles that can easily transition to a sleeping bag, and sleep suits that convert from bags to suits with legs for easy use from bassinet to stroller to baby carrier.

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Lofty Elephants


Boutique toddler clothes handmade from beautiful, unique printed fabrics.

033016_CRT_LoftyElephants_01Farah Chherawalla is owner of Lofty Elephants, what she calls a “lofty endeavor to provide boutique toddler clothes made from beautiful and unique fabrics and prints at department store prices, while employing men and women in desperate need of income to feed their babies or put their children through school.”

033016_CRT_LoftyElephants_06Handmade in India

This Mom-owned and operated online apparel business sells children’s clothes that are handmade in small batches in India, using materials from small businesses. “Most of our prints cannot be seen anywhere else, and chances are they will not be repeated,” Farah says.

033016_CRT_LoftyElephants_03Part of Lofty Elephants sales proceeds benefit the operation of an education center that empowers women by teaching them skills, which make them employable. In return, Lofty Elephants aims to employ most of these women.

033016_CRT_LoftyElephants_02How to Buy

Due to technical difficulties on http://loftyelephants.com, Farah asks that you email info@loftyelephants.com with any interest in buying. “We will soon be available on Amazon.com,” Farah says. “Sorry for the inconvenience and we promise you an even more exciting collection soon.” Stay in touch with Lofty Elephants on Facebook.

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Donna Pellittieri Collection


Wearable art for little girls.

Donna Pellittieri designs beautiful, vintage-inspired clothes for girls ages three months to five years. Each piece from Donna’s collections are one-of-a-kind and truly unique.

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Since graduating the Fashion Institute of Technology in 1976, Donna has been creating wearable art. Earlier in her life as an OR nurse, she continued to sew – finding her “calling” in creating doll art. In 2010, she returned to making clothes for little girls – dresses, jackets, coats and hats, bags and pillows and special occasion outfits on commission, such as flower girl dresses.

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Each of Donna’s one-of-a-kind pieces and takes between 30 and 40 hours to make. Her inspiration comes from vintage and antique catalogues and books. From there she designs and makes her own patterns, constructs the clothing and lovingly embellishes them with antique lace, ribbon and buttons. The pieces reflect different eras, from the Victorian Age to the 1960’s -though the 20’s and 30’s are her favorite decades. While the clothes she makes are influenced by other eras, she puts her own twist on them and they truly are unique.

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Happisnappi


Interchangeable hats, hair accessories, socks and clothes … with a cause.

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Designed by Carly, a child therapist, Happisnappi products encourage creativity and self-expression in girls of all ages with quality clothing and accessories that can be changed in a snap, using a snap, with fun and unique embellishments that are completely interchangeable … all while supporting the fight against childhood cancers.

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Girls require several creative outlets to build independence, develop self-expression and to maintain self-esteem. When girls create their very own outfits with countless combinations of Happisnappi clothes and accessories, it not only promotes balance in all areas of a girl’s development, they will love wearing their self-designed Happisnappi styles and enjoy creating them.

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Happisnappi Supports Katy’s Courage

The nonprofit organization Katy’s Courage honors Katy Stewart, who inspired all who knew her throughout her lifetime. She died of a rare pediatric cancer at 12 years young. Her smile and kindness shine on in the memories of those who loved her. Founded in 2012, Katy’s Courage provides support for parents and children facing medical challenges, especially pediatric cancer, through scholarships, children’s bereavement counseling and pediatric cancer research.

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Goblies


Young inventor combines science, fun and “messy” play with her new toy company.

Briana Gardell is a 23-year-old Lehigh University graduate inventor and CEO of Mezzimatic, her new company behind the patent-pending Goblies -one of the toy sensations that launched at the New York Toy Fair 2016. In fact, CNBC named Goblies one of the hottest toys at the fair!

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What Are Goblies?

Goblies are walnut sized-balls that can be thrown like water balloons – paintball with a colorful splat. “The idea for Goblies was inspired by a homework assignment in my technical entrepreneurship program asking us to combine manufacturing processes with our own creative direction,” Briana says. “The result is Goblies. I’m excited to officially establish Goblies as a new brand in the toy industry.”

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After a successful Kickstarter in 2015, and a Eureka! Venture Series award, Briana readied Goblies for market, registering for her patent and exhibiting her toys at the Mini Maker Faire hosted by Barnes and Noble before officially introducing Goblies to the industry. She recently launched her toys on Maker Shed and at the Da Vinci Science Center.

“As a judge in the 2014 Eureka! Competition run by Lehigh’s Baker Institute for Entrepreneurship, I was instantly impressed with Briana and her Goblies,” Alita Friedman, toy industry veteran and CEO of Alita’s Brand Bar, says. “She had conceived an innovative and playful new S.T.E.M platform and won the Grand Prize in our competition. I look forward to watching her ongoing success.”

By combining chemistry with creativity, Goblies showcases the best of S.T.E.M. (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) education activity kits. Currently available in both a starter kit and refill packs, Goblies include ingredients that allow kids (of all ages) to create squishy throw-able balls in an infinite number of colors. The final product is a wet powder that is not sticky and can be cleaned out of most items. Learn more about the science of Goblies right here.

Meanwhile, Briana has her eye on the future with plans to produce ready-made Goblies for instant fun and is also interested in licensing her new brand to established toy companies.

Congrats, Briana!

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Kissi Couture


This team of fashion forward thinkers are ready to make the golf course their runway.

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Kissi Couture is created by diva athletes for diva athletes. When junior golf sisters Makenna and Morgan Rodriguez begin to pursue their dream of golf super stardom, their parents begin their own search for stylish athletic apparel, to no avail.

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In 2012, the sisters start designing their own outfits for golf tournaments with the assistance of Mom Nicole Rodriguez and Dad Benjamin Rodriguez. The girls refer to their sassy athletic style as Kissi Couture -and when their parents realize fellow junior girl golfers are just as excited about this fierce style as the girls are, they know it’s time to kick Kissi Couture into high gear. So Nicole and Benjamin embark on a fashion journey to achieve all the creative visions of their daughters.

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Kissi Couture is designed for the fashionable junior girl athlete, for the golf course and beyond. Polo shirts, tees, baby, bottoms, holiday, socks, jewelry, custom bling, hats, hair bows plus golf gear and umbrellas, bags, mugs and stickers. The polos feature girly styles with colors, cute sayings, ruffle sleeves and a crest logo that would make any girl feel like a princess. This girls golf and sports apparel strives to dress every little diva on the field.

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My Twins Are Cuter


“Twinspiring” clothing line that comes in two’s.

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Dawn Motolese is mom to twin girls and helped them start a clothing line for twins. “All of our designs are created around the number two, including our logo,” she says. “Designs come in sets for girl/girl, boy/boy and girl/boy twins and we also have shirts for mom and (coming soon) grandma.”

021716_CRT_MyTwinsAreCuter_04Dawn’s twins Olivia and Sophia are only eight years old when they get the “twinspiration” for the My Twins Are Cuter brand, back in 2012 while on a beach vacation with the family, which includes four girls all-together. The company’s name, however, comes directly from Dawn herself. “Let’s face it, what mother or father doesn’t think their children are the cutest, especially when there’s two of them?” Dawn says the phrase so much; her twins urge her get it printed on a shirt. Well at the time, Dawn thinks her girls have a great and fun idea, so the first day back from vacation she purchases the URL, http://www.mytwinsarecuter.com/. Dream come true.

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In the future, Dawn and the twins hope to expand their line beyond tees for toddlers, youth and moms as well as baby onezies. For now, “It has been so much fun watching their creativity blossom and it is fulfilling to share all the aspects of business with them. They are learning and sharing so much,” she says.

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Faerie Ballgowns by CHIARIstyle


Come dream with us.

Chari Coffey is a Los Angeles-based product development designer and the mastermind behind CHIARIstyle. Among the many creative fashion projects she has going in the women’s, men’s and kids wear markets are these exquisite Faerie Ballgowns.

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“For 16 years, I have made miniature dresses that I have given away to little girls that believe in faeries,” Chari tells me. She weaves the magical tale of finding these little dresses hanging high in the trees. “The faeries slip from their dresses and leave them there. If you are lucky to find one just before sunrise, they are magical treats.” Each tiny dress is made by hand, created with imagination from pieces of lace and gems collected, and every dress is inspired by the tiny faerie that will wear it to the Fairy Tale Ball. Chari says, “When asked if I could produce the dress for girls, I put the idea into work.”

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The limited edition Faerie Ballgowns for girls are perfect for weddings, dances, tea parties and, of course, fairy tales.

Chari has also been working on The Ella Jewel Collection in honor of her daughter Ella. With extensive experience in all phases of the apparel business from design room management, trend analysis and product development to final packaging, “There is nothing better than creating new product that gets results,” she says. Chari is surely conjuring up fashion magic!

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kidpik


Girls’ shopping reinvented.

The recently launched shopping site kidpik hopes to change everything you thought you knew about shopping for girls. Created by the executives behind The Children’s Place, kidpik combines the luxury of personal styling with the convenience of home shopping, designed exclusively for girls and tailored to fit any budget. Seasonally, kidpik is expected to deliver a curated, coordinated and fashionable selection of quality outfits right to your doorstep, with the added benefits of free shipping, free styling and no membership fee.

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No Commitment kidpik Experience

“Children’s preferences in clothing have evolved over the decades and so should the shopping and delivery system,” says Ezra Dabah, kidpik founder and CEO. “We are excited to deliver this ultimate shopping experience.”

Every item is designed and curated in kidpik’s NYC studio, where stylists and proprietary algorithms work collaboratively to remove the difficulty, time and guesswork from the shopping experience. Whether your daughter favors a look that’s Girly Glam or Classic Chic, Modest or one of kidpik’s five lifestyle looks, the interactive fun style quiz will help identify her unique style. Girls ages three through 12 (sizes 4-14), with the help of grown-ups, can define and own their signature style on the kidpik site.

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“Pik” What She Loves & Send the Rest Back Free

Each fashionista will receive her own personalized box containing about six coordinated quality fashion apparel pieces such as tops, bottoms, dresses, layering pieces, shoes and accessories -designed to complete several mix and match outfits. “Pik” what she loves and send the rest back free. The average kidpik box price is under $100 and the cost of each item is just $12.50 if she decides to keep the entire box.

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One of the Coolest Parts …

Purchase the entire box and get a 30% discount; keep what she likes and kidpik will donate any returned items through its charity partnership.

kidpik is the newest endeavor from prolific fashion entrepreneur Ezra Dabah and the executive and creative teams behind classic children’s brands including EJ Gitano, The Children’s Place, Disney stores, Nina footwear and Rum American Kid’s Wear.

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The Little Linguist’s Alphabet by LoveYourLingo


Beautiful, multilingual products to inspire little linguists to love their languages.

“I’m Mom to bilingual girls who speak English and French, and I have created a special alphabet to help make life easier for multilingual children, so they continue to love and speak their languages,” Úna McCarthy-Fakhry tells me nearly two years ago, just after she launches a crowdfunding campaign to get her creative endeavor off the ground. This January, with the help of 203 Kickstarter backers, the production of The Little Linguist’s Alphabet is a reality. Available as a poster, mini card or ebook, Úna’s multilingual alphabet is illustrated with 26 objects that all start with the same letter as their translations in English, Français, Español, Português, Deutsch, Nederlands and Italiano (coming soon). For example, D is always for Dinosaur and P is always for Princess, no matter which combination of these languages your little linguist speaks.

012716_CRT_LoveYourLingo_04“The people who backed me came from all over the world, from Costa Rica to Japan, from the USA to New Zealand,” Úna says. “They have kept me going when things got difficult, and have been forever patient and supportive at every stage. I genuinely feel I now have 203 new friendships and want to thank each and every one of them for helping me make this a reality.”

As a result, Úna founded LoveYourLingo to make multilingual products that help little linguists thrive. The entire idea grew out of necessity as her own children began to discover the alphabet. Úna and her family currently live in Melbourne, where they share Australian, Irish, French and Lebanese roots. This OPOL (one parent, one language) family has Papa speaking French exclusively, while Úna’s main language is English. She has observed her daughters’ puzzled expressions while trying to identify which letter is which. “It is ‘p pour parapluie’ with her French Papa, but on the English alphabet on our wall, it is ‘u for umbrella’,” she says. “As we also knew many other little linguists facing a similar challenge, the idea just would not leave me alone.”

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The sweet illustrations for, who also created the adorable little linguist Anna. “I have lots of plans for Anna, so if you have a curious little linguist who would like a little friend…watch this space (i.e., LoveYourLingo).”

Úna says she is constantly amazed by her little girls as they show her just how natural it is to speak more than one language. “I have also witnessed challenges they met along the way and feel that a positive language experience, in the delicate early years, can be crucial in determining whether a child continues to speak their languages or not.”

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One of my own regrets in life is speaking only one language (English). Even though I graduated high school with years of French and Spanish under my belt, I still carry a dictionary when traveling. As a child, I never learned Polish, my relatives’ native tongue. Keeping the multilingual fire alive in young children is definitely the key to raising little linguists at home. Thanks, Úna!