Wendy Tsao (originally from Vancouver) is the genius mom who tapped into the idea of transforming the wonderful imaginary creations of children into one-of-a-kind plush toys.  In her own words, Child’s Own Studio sprouted from a simple idea: to make a recognizable comfort toy for a 4 year-old boy based on his own drawing.  It was an idea that spurred the launch of her home-based craft business and since then she has custom-made hundreds of quirky, loveable, personal soft toys based on children’s drawings, each one as unique as the child who drew it.

We love the quirkiness of her creations and the overall celebration of creativity. If you’re as addicted to these little gems as we are, you can check out Child’s Own Studio flickr feed that features a gallery of hundreds of these unique recreations.  Unfortunately, as popularity goes (and Wendy being only one person) she is currently not taking new orders as she strives to catch up on her waiting list. But keep checking in on her website and facebook page to find out when orders are being accepted again!

Hailing from Holland, you can see why this gorgeous bike seat for children has won several prestigious awards globally. The BoBike collection has received high marks for everything from safety and design, to ease of use and comfort. And luckily for us, it’s now available in North America.

The Bobike Mini + is a very cool looking, compact front mounted bike seat for kids 9 months to 3 years (20-33lbs), and can be paired up with a matching windscreen (sold separately). Parents love the front mount, because it means they can keep an eye on their child without always looking back — and besides, it gives your child a perfect view of the world in front of them. The adjustable foot support trays are another great feature of the Bobike Mini, and the bevy of designs means there’s a look to suit everyone.

If a rear mounted bike seat is more your speed, they offer the Bobike Maxi. With the same safety standards as the Mini, the Maxi can be used from 20-50lbs. Available in two contemporary styles to match any bike frame.

Comes with brackets and can be installed on any type of bike.

Special Giveaway!

Win a Bobike Mini+ Bike Seat! (windshield sold separately). How to win? It’s easy, Write A Review of any product on the babyscoop. Winners are chosen randomly. Contest runs Tuesday May 1, 4pm – Wednesday May 9th at 12pm. We will select our winner on May 10th, after 11pm EST.

Don’t forget to drop by our facebook, twitter & Pinterest pages to like us and say hi! Good luck!

The Abi Chronicles: Guest Blog

In the past month or so, Sheba has started to love clothes. I don’t mean the ‘let’s brush each other’s hair and try on outfits’ sort of infant clothes-loveage that mothers of daughters dream about.

I mean, first thing in the morning she leaps up and down in her cot, yelling to be released upon her shelves so that she can lovingly don (and it’s all I can do not to echo the cadences of A Very Hungry Caterpillar here): one ‘T’-shirt, a better ‘T’-shirt, a long-sleeved sweat, a cotton smock or four, and finally a nice, green swimsuit. Just to pull it all together.

Then – ‘Quick Mum: I need them now’ – it’s several necklaces: the noisy kind. With knots in them, flapper-style. And ‘Age of Aquarius’ leather pendants, complete with padded hearts, courtesy of her good buddy Sumi from down the street.

That’s the top half. Next come the bottoms. Red-Superman-Charlie-Knickers please (knickers is underwear for North Americans – and she’s still not settled into one culture because, at three, she and her kind haven’t settled onto Planet Earth: can we just face it?).

Then it’s PJ bottoms, a pair (or two) of leggings. (‘Mummy you’re grabbing. Don’t grab Mummy, these are MY clothes’.) Some jeans. Some legwarmers. More jeans.

We let her just go for it, completely unfettered, until about a week ago. Debates started forming in my mind, and they covered a wide range of complex topics.

Here are three:

1)    Does it exploit underpaid daycare workers to force them to plough through seven layers of textiles so my daughter can pee? (Yes.)

2)    Is it unfair of us to cultivate in Sheba a sense of blue-sky sartorial freedom when, truth is, she lives in a cruelly norm-enforcing world wherein more than two pairs of pants categorizes you as socially marginal? (Yes.)

3)    Is it, on the other hand, unfair to deprive her of her last couple of years of not having to choose between the pink corduroy and the stripey Velour but having it all, dammit! For maybe the last time in her life, unless she ends up a teenage fashion blogger. (Yes).

See the dilemma?

About The Abi Chronicles:

As our in-house blogger, Abi reports on the full spectrum of parenting – from the searching, essential questions to the quirkier territory all families sometimes inhabit.

Check out this lovely piece of film that is less a commercial and more of a soaring 2 minute tribute to moms around the globe, fittingly enough, produced by Proctor & Gamble, one of the world’s largest packaged goods companies who has benefited from the patronage of moms for decades.  I’ve watched this several times over the past week and I’m always left with a tear in my eye and a lump in my throat.

This heartfelt thank you letter is something every mom needs to watch, especially if you’re having one of those tough days.  This will remind you that each and every one of us truly does have the “best job” in the world. Enjoy!!