I am very saddened to say that one of our favourite ranges, Cariboo of New Zealand, will no longer be available in the UK.  They announced this afternoon that they will be focusing on their home market for the time being and no longer supplying the UK.

Cariboo make a great range of high quality, well designed nursery furniture, and I wish them well in the future and look forward to working with them again in different times.

With effect immediatley we will be unable to accept any orders for Cariboo, Sorry.

Congratulations to Dannii Minogue and Kris Smith on the birth of their lovely little boy, born last Monday.  They have called him Ethan Edward Smith, and have released this sweet picture of their new family:

Congratulations to the Proud Parents

I’m sure little Ethan is set to be the next star in the Minogue dynasty, and we would like to send them all our congratulations.

We have just returned from this years Harrogate Nursery Fair, the major nursery trade show in the UK. There was over 200 companies showing a huge range of new and familiar products covering the age range from 0-4 years old.

We stayed in an apartment in Harrogate for three days, having a great time combining business and pleasure. As Harrogate is a wonderful town, with very good shopping and yummy restaurants. We would particularly recommend the Chinese restaurant in the spa building on Crescent Road, and of course we had to visit the ever perfect Betty’s Tea Rooms.

Well back to business!

The Nursery Fair was a very large event and if I am being honest slightly disappointing. The same companies, in the same places, showing the same products. Many of the large established Nursery companies don’t seem to have developed anything new, and much of their designs looked tired. It is hard to say if the lack of innovation is caused by complacency or as an effect of the recession, however, it was left to small new companies to really pioneer new designs.

In the coming weeks I will feature some of the up and coming new products, that will be reaching the shops over the summer. I hope to be able to add the very best new products to Chic 4 Baby as soon as they are available.

I look forward to your comments and emails, thank you for reading.

Close your eyes for a moment and imagine walking into your perfect nursery.  Your beautiful baby has just woken up, and is warm and snugly, and full of smiles.  They reach out towards you….

• What does your perfect nursery look like?
• What colour can you see?
• What furniture is in the room?
• Is the nursery modern or traditional?
• Is your baby sleeping in a Cot or Crib?
• Does your perfect nursery have a theme?

This image of a dream is the place to start any nursery design and something to keep in mind while you shop.

Please leave comments about what your dream nursery looks like…

Powell Craft Soldier Pram Coat

Pros

• Handmade, unique design
  

  A Stunning Handmade Pram Coat

• 100% Cotton
• Washable
• Ethically produced

Cons

• Bright colours may not suit every baby

As these Pram Coats are individually hand-knitted, so each little soldier has a slightly different expression, maybe a little smile or a wink!

The bright red makes a nice change from blue for little boys, and would be absoloutley perfect if Daddy was in the Army.

Radio One DJ Sara Cox has given birth to a baby girl , this morning at 8.30am.  She announced on the birth on Twitter saying “Hi y’all, we had a beautiful baby girl at 8.30 this morning. She’s called Renee. So happy.”

Congratulations to Sara and family.

New baby Renee, will be a little sister for Lola, aged 5, and Isaac, aged 2.

So Congratulations to Sara and beuatiful little Renee!

Cariboo Merino Baby Sleep Bag

Pros

The best thing you can put your baby to bed in is a Cariboo Merino Baby bag

• Easy to use
• Regulates body temperature.
• 100% natural fibres
• Handmade

Cons

• Limited colours, not as funky as some synthetic bags
• As of yet no newborn size, it is sized from 3 months.

The Cariboo Merino Baby Sleep Bag is simply the best way for your baby to sleep.  It is super soft with plenty of wriggle room.

The baby bag is very easy to use as it has poppers on the shoulders and a large zip across the bottom. When it comes to changing nappies in the night, you can just unzip the bottom and gently change your baby.  So you don’t have to completely undress your baby, and if you are really lucky they may go straight back to sleep!

There is also a handy seat belt flap in the front of the bag, which makes it ideal for trips in the car.  Great if you have a baby that only settles when being driven around in your car.

However, by far the best thing about the Merino Baby Sleep Bag is it’s natural ability to regulate temperature.  There is no need for a tog rating, in summer or winter, it will create it’s own micro-climate and help to keep your baby sleeping at the perfect temperature at all times.

Also Merino wool has a hydrophilic core that has an amazing ability to absorb liquid. It can absorb up to 30% of its own weight in water without feeling damp to the touch. This makes Merino Wool perfect for removing perspiration from the skin, and releasing it as vapour.

With your baby sleeping in Merino Wool, you avoid the uncomfortable ‘clammy’ feeling and prevent a surface chill on the damp skin.

I believe that the Cariboo Merino Baby Sleep Bag is the best bedding you can put your baby in at night.  It is handmade in New Zealand, and after some problems with the poppers in the first batch (apparently the wool was washable…but the poppers weren’t!), the quality is now superb and sure to out last your family, to become a “must have” heirloom.

Please note that this is a product stocked by Chic 4 Baby, however, we only stock the best quality products that we actually belive in. So we have no concerns recommending it.

Please leave any comments or product reviews below:

Hi, this is the first ever post on Chic 4 Baby Blog, so please forgive any rookie errors (or spelling mistakes).

Our Nursery Boutique store, www.Chic4Baby.co.uk was successfully launched; at the beginning of the deepest recession in recorded history and i’m pleased to report that we are still here and going from strength to strength. We specialise in high quality, often handmade nursery products, and take great care to stock a individual and hand picked ranges of nursery furniture, baby accessories and new baby gifts.

We have launched this blog to be able to communicate with our customers about a wide range of nursery related topics, that don’t fit on our retail site.

Every week we will review products, including our product of the week. Which will either be a product we love  from Chic, or a new product to the nursery market. We would be grateful for your comments on these items, to help us develop the type of range that you feel will be most beneficial to you and your baby.

In the future we will also feature interviews with experts in various fields, including child safety and first aid, as these are areas that are very personal and close to our hearts.

We hope you will check back with us regularly and we would be really pleased to hear any suggestions for  subjects and products you would like to see on this blog. You can either leave your comments or email us direct on the contact form below.