Happy Feet
The best shoes for baby

Back in the day, parents outfitted their babies with hard oxford shoes. Today we know that babies need a chance to practice standing in bare feet and that they learn to walk best without shoes on. But, baby it's cold outside. Plus, what parent can resist these cute shoes? Here are some things to keep in mind when buying baby's first pair:

Babies tend to have chubby, round feet and little heel to hold the shoe in place. So find snug (but not tight) shoes that remain on your baby's feet.

Bring your baby to the shoe store so a saleperson can measure both of her feet carefully. Shoes that are too short could pinch baby's feet and even cause deformity; shoes that are too long are likely to fall off. A good fit is when there's about a thumb's width between the end of her longest toe and the tip of her shoe.

To avoid perspiration, which can produce a rash, buy shoes made of breathable materials, such as leather, canvas or suede. Some of our favorites are (from top to bottom) Robeez Quilted Mary Jane Black Suede, Monica from See Kai Run, Metallic Gold Baby Jane from Oh Five, and, for the sporty baby, Jack and Lily's Blue/Orange trainer.

Slick Stroller
Bugaboo, Meet Marc. Marc, Meet Bugaboo

Bugaboo (aka the Land Rover of strollers) has teamed up with March Jacobs for a limited edition stroller. With just 15 produced, chic parents around the globe will be fighting to be the proud owners of one. Available at Little Marc Jacobs in New York and Dubai, Colette in Paris, Selfridges in London and Azzurro kids store in Amsterdam. Can't get your hands on one? In 2009 the company will also partner with Paul Frank for a Special Collection of footmuffs, blankets and fabric sets featuring signature characters Skurvy, Julius and Clancy.

1969 Vest
Nonchalant Kids

If you're gonna drop forty bucks on a top for your kid, better make it unisex so the next one (be it a boy or a girl) can also wear it. Inspired by the designer's vest her grandma gave her in 1969, this one has a big open neck that slides easily over your kid's head. Apparently, the yarn (85% wool and 15% mohair) comes from Nebraska and a RISD student named Carmen knitted it right in the Nonchalant Kids studio. Cute!

Nothing But a G Thang
gDiapers in glam black

Part cloth, part biodegradable, gDiapers create less waste than traditional disposable diapers—you know, the ones that have been sitting in the landfill for about 500 years. You can toss them (or compost them) without guilt. And because you can flush them down the toilet, it means no more stinky hotel rooms on your next trip with baby.

WHAT A CARD
You've taken care to perfectly wrap those gifts. So don't leave the card--the thing that announces who's present it is--to the likes of Hallmark. Here, some of our faves:

chickprint's shop stocks modern holiday cards like this Personalized Holiday Card-Mittens

Dee & Lala signature giraffes finish their tree trimming with a star. Letterpress printed on 100% cotton rag paper.

Your guests will be skipping with glee when they receive these custom festive and modern invites from Groovy Paper. Let's get the party started!

Night Owl Paper Goods crafts real wooden cards made from eco-friendly
sustainably harvested yellow birch.

PortaMEe Baby Carrier
$180

Finally a baby carrier guys won't be embarrased to be seen in. Designed more like a cool messenger bag, this carrier from PortaMe features a flexible, orthopedic lumbar support for your lower back and plenty of pockets to stash your cell phone, keys and other gadgets. It also comes with an insulated bottle holder and, for an additional $38, an infant headrest.
portamee.com

Diaper Dude
$107

Dads on the go will appreciate this sporty yet sophisticated messenger-style diaper bag. It comes in heather or dark gray and features three exterior pockets for bibs, wipes and snacks, an interior key clip, a padded changing pad, elasticized bottle pocket and removable, on-strap cell phone pouch--'cause you never know when you need to reach mom, pronto!
diaperdude.com

OiOi
$99

Going out with baby shouldn't mean having to compromise on style. Leave it to the Aussies to come up with stylish diaper bags that you'd want to use well beyond potty training years. Made of 100% cotton drill with water repellant finish, this bag comes with an insulated bottle holder, a pvc wipes case and a large padded microfibre change mat. Two external pockets are great for storing drinks, cell phone and other must-haves.
oioi.com

HOW TO BE A GOOD PARENT

Unlike that cool new sling you just bought, kids don't come with instructions. Here's some easy advice fore new parents.

DON'T give your kids weird names
Apple, Suri and Shiloh might work if your last name is Pitt or Cruise. But not so much if it's Smith. Kids will always find ways to tease each other. Naming your son Pilot Inspector (that's actor Jason Lee's kid) is just asking for trouble.

DO get a lock on your bedroom door
Knock, knock.
Enough said.

DON'T get a gas-guzzling SUV
Do we really need to explain why?

DON'T let your kids pick up your bad habits
We all have our vices, be it swearing, eating in front of the TV or polishing off Oreos from the box. But try to hide them from your kids, who look up and identify with you.

DO say these three words to your kids every day
I love you

Travel Survival Kit
Activity Ideas to Keep Your Kids Entertained

You know the look. You used to give it to the mom with the screaming kid in her arms as she boarded the plane. Now you're the one getting the please-not-next-to-me look. But having an infant doesn't mean your traveling days are over. With just a little preparation you can combat road fatigue and are-we-there-yets. All you need is a travel survival kit.

Arts & Crafts
Notebook Amazing how far some white sheets of paper and colored pencils can go. Give your kids a theme, say an African Safari, and watch them fill up those pages faster than you can say bathroom break.
Postcards Stock up on local destination and prestamped cards and have your kids write to their friends, grandparents or, heck, to themselves.
Doodling Etch a Sketch, Dry-erase board. You'll be there before they get bored playing with these.

Games
Tired of the alphabet game and the license-plate game? So is every other parent on the planet. Find new ideas and inspirations in Lynn Gordon's 52 Fun Things to Do in the Car.

Activities
Books on Tape Get dizzy reading in a moving vehicle? That's why they invented books on tapes... and to give you a break from reading Harry Potter or The Chronicles of Narnia to your kid for the 15th time.
Toys Buy a bunch of small, inexpensive trinkets and toys and wrap them in colorful or funky paper (Sunday's comics page works). Not only will it take your kid a while to unwrap the "treasure" but it will also feel like a birthday every few miles.
Scrapbook You've collected enough ticket stubs, postcards, receipts and brochures... now have your kids organize them for a scrapbook.
Handheld Travel Games Magnets and electronic games could very well be God's gift to traveling families. Magnetic checkers anyone?

DIAPER BAG CHECKLIST

Extra outfit
Bib
Blanket
Milk
Soother
Diapers
Creams
Wash cloth
Pad
Toys

PRE-VACATION CHECKLIST

This vacation, do without the nagging feeling you forgot to do something...

3 Days Before
Stop mail and newspaper delivery

Ask a neighbor to keep an eye out while you're gone.

1 Day Before
Set timers A dark home is a home more likely to get broken into. Install plug-in timers on lamps in several rooms and set them to turn on/off at different times.

Discard perishables That milk will go bad. And so will produce and cold cuts.

3 Hours Before
Empty trash cans

30 Minutes Before
Lock all doors and windows

Pillow Fights
k studio's family series
www.kstudiohome.com

Since k studio launched in 2004, artist/designer Shelly Klein and her mom, furniture industry veteran Mary Klein, their uber-cool collection of graphic patterns and curious family of characters have found their way onto pillows and stretched fabric wall art. “When I make all these people and critters and put them in situations together, the main idea is how they connect with one another," says Shelly. “When I think about this idea of connecting, family becomes very relevant.” This holiday season, you can choose from a diverse cast of characters of various ages and species (kitty and pooch too) to embroider on pillows made of organic cotton, hemp or recycled felt.

Deck the Walls
guitar wall graphic
www.fawnandforest.com

Like painted art, these repositionable/removable decals bring a little pizzaz to your little one's room. Chalkals by Estela Lugo for ModernDose features one sweet guitar made of adhesive chalkboard vinyl so your rock-star-in-training can write lyrics and notes in easy-to-wipe off chalk. Headphones not required.

Elephant in the Room
Eames elephant
www.vitra.com

In your child's life the elephant is not just a majestic creature oft seen at the zoo but most likely has been a cuddly toy and a storybook character. In 1945 Charles and Ray Eames also succumbed to its charms and designed a toy elephant made of plywood. Though it was never mass production, the Eames elephant is now available for the first time in a plastic version for those it was originally intended for: children. With its over-size ears, this distinctive looking animal will bring joy to kid's and parent's heart whether it's used as a fun outdoor toy or a decorative item in the nursery.

Cut Some Rug
dwell studio gio aqua rug
www.dwellshop.com

The studio that brought us adorable bibs, crib sheets and baby towels recently introduced a new line of decor for the floor. This hand tufted 100% New Zealand wool rug features a bunny, giraffe and elephant (Eames was onto something) in shades of mocha and blue to help put the finishing touch on your room. The design is timeless so it can easily transition from the nursery to the bedroom.

ORGANIZATION 101

Cleaning tips for your toddler...

Ditch the all-purpose toy chest At around 2 years, kids learn by categorization. By dumping everything in one bin, your kid will miss out on a great learning opportunity.

Low storage It might look clean and tidy to you, but putting things away on high shelves will only lead to a frustrated kid who can't reach anything. Instead, store toys low to the ground where he can get to them.

Label Take a picture of his favorite truck, her favorite stuffed animal, one of a box of crayons and so on and tape it on the corresponding storage container so your toddler can easily spot where things belong.

Oh, Baby!
A Vancouver couple proves a new addition to the family doesn’t have to mean massive renovation. Just a few clever tricks.

When they found out they were expecting twins, Tracy Harvey-Chan and her husband Francis moved into a two-bedroom condo in Vancouver's West End. “We started with a colour palette,” says Tracy, who recently gave birth to two healthy baby girls. “We didn’t know the gender then, but I don’t think we would have done pink anyway.” With design sensibilities that are “a little modern but with lots of soft and natural elements,” says Francis, the couple found inspiration in the earthy tones of a squirrel painting they received as a gift from a friend. “That was the first thing we got for the nursery and it kind of grew from there,” says Tracy of the room’s animal theme and its green, brown and blue palette. Both graphic designers, the couple saw designing the nursery as an opportunity to do a room without restraints, to go a little bit wild and have fun with it. Tracy points out that infants aren’t really aware of their surroundings—the key is to create a room that parents will find comfortable and take pleasure in. “If it’s an awful room, I’m not going to enjoy sitting here nursing or spending time with the babies,” she says. “It’s about being true to yourself and finding stuff you like.”

Photos By Heather Ross

STEAL THE LOOK

The Floors
What’s underfoot can be a dramatic design feature, as Tracy and Francis demonstrate with their rug: it’s made by mixing and matching Flor tiles in their colour palette.

The Bed
Look for furniture that can pull double duty: in this case, a crib that can be converted into a toddler bed. Oeuf, $820

The walls
Go for unique toys and artwork that complement each other. “We tried to support local artists,” says Tracy.

Researchers show that newborn babies first see black and white and focus on faces. These two books by SAMi feature foam-filled pages that are easy to hold and flip with little hands. In SMILES, each page features a new smiling face while Woof-Woof introduces babies to animal faces and their sounds--from cat to dog, to lamb to mouse, and finally to BABY! Older children will relish flipping the pages themselves and observing the transformations.

Since launching in 2005, Paul Frank's colletion of clothing and pajamas for children incorporating some of its most successful characters, such as Julius, has grown to include plush toys and now alphabet flash cards. Printed on thick, sturdy board, these adorable cards capture the best of Paul Frank's quirky animal characters and will have your kids reciting their ABCs in no time. Post-leagning years, the cards will make great wall decorations.

The work of Japanese artist Yoshitomo Nara often features little girls and puppies so it's no surprise that he recently created a children's book. In The Lonesome Puppy, Nara tells the story of a dog so big that no one notices him—until a determined little girl climbs high enough to meet him and become his friend. This one is sure to become a favorite for you and your child.

Got a budding young artist and enviornmentalist at home? Chalk, crayons or finger paints, this easel has a sturdy three-point base anddurable non-toxic finish. Traslation: it will stand up to everything your toddler can throw at it. And because it's made from just three pieces of 100% formaldehyde-free, environmentally friendly SmartWood, it can be disasembled quickly for easy storage.

It's a dragon! it's a horse! Scandinavians know a thing or two about sleek lines and design. This ride-on toy is all sculpted curves of bent birch wood, which provide a safe and sturdy seat for children. The Svan Scooter's abstract shape lets kids use their imaginations. Better yet, it's so chic that it won't clash with your Saarinen furniture.

Tired of dressing your bundle of joy in the same outfits every other baby is wearing? This kit, which includes a 64-page booklet with easy-to-follow instructions and illustrations, is filled with ways to dress your baby in style--from beautiful bonnets to soft sweaters and blankets. Each of the 25 project cards features color photographs of the finished projects and the kit includes a set of circular needles, two stitch markers and 50 yards of yarn to get you started.

ENTERTAINING

A few holiday tips from hostess-with-the-mostest Amy Sedaris and her book, I Like You: Hospitality Under the Influence.

GIFTING
"Once you start sending family members cheques for their birthdays, you'll have to do it the rest of your life because they will be looking for it the rest of their lives. It's like deeding a dog at the table. A good way to give money is to donate to a charity of a person's choice... I always suggest my vacation jar."

HOSTING
"Children's parties should always have a set time limit, like. from 2 to 2:30."

COOKING
"When a major setback occurs, don't snap your bean. Make a joke out of the situation; turn it around. Take a snapshot of the rump roast you just dropped and send everyone a copy the next day."

DRESSING
"never try to out-dress the hostess unless you are the guest of honor, or a transvestite."

PLANNING A PARTY
"Before you start reminiscing about the great party you haven't had yet, let's focus on the great party you're going to have."
Listen to the audio clip